System and method for measuring surface tension of a levitated sample

A system for measuring surface tension of a levitated sample, comprising:

• a plurality of electrodes;
• a position sensor;
• a camera device;
• and
• at least one computing device that executes instructions that cause the system to at least:
• levitate a sample using a feedback-controlled voltage applied to at least one of the plurality of electrodes, wherein the feedback-controlled voltage is determined based at least in part on a position of the sample that is detected by the position sensor;
• apply a signal to at least one of the plurality of electrodes, wherein the signal comprises a fixed amplitude exciting the sample into a n=3 mode of oscillation and is swept over a range of frequencies during which the n=3 mode of oscillation is excited and that includes a predetermined frequency;
• capture a plurality of images of the sample using the camera device, a respective image of the plurality of images being associated with a particular frequency that is applied to the sample when the respective image is captured;
• quantify a plurality of sample resonance using a projection method of Legendre polynomials based on the plurality of images, a respective sample resonance being associated with a respective image and a particular frequency that is applied to the sample when the respective image is captured;
• and
• determine a measured resonance frequency of the sample by an analysis of the plurality of sample resonance that indicates that the respective sample resonance shows a maximum response deviation of the levitated sample, wherein the measured resonance frequency is the particular frequency that is associated with the respective sample resonance.