Nuclear recoil spectroscopy of levitated particles

We propose a new method for the detection and characterization of nuclear decay processes. Specifically, we describe how nuclear decay recoil can be observed within small particles levitated in an optical trap with high positional resolution. Precise measurements of the magnitude of each recoil as well as their rate of occurrence can provide accurate information about the isotopic composition of a radioactive sample. We expect that this new technique for nuclear material characterization will be especially useful in the area of nuclear forensic analysis.