  An atom in front of a surface is one of the simplest and fundamental problem
in physics. Yet, it allows testing quantum electrodynamics, while providing
potential platforms and interfaces for quantum technologies. Despite, its
simplicity, combined with strong scientific and technological interests,
atom-surface physics, at its fundamental level, remains largely unexplored
mainly because of challenges associated with precise control of the
atom-surface distance. Nevertheless, substantial breakthroughs have been made
over the last two decades. With the development of cold and quantum atomic
gases, one has gained further control on atom-surface position, naturally
leading to improved precision in the Casimir-Polder interaction measurement.
Advances have also been reported in finding experimental knobs to tune and even
reverse the Casimir-Polder interaction strength. So far, this has only been
achieved for atoms in short-lived excited states, however, the rapid progresses
in material sciences, e.g. metamaterials and topological materials have
inspired new ideas for controlling the atom-surface interaction in long-lived
states. In addition, combining nano-photonic and atom-surface physics is now
envisioned for applications in quantum information processing. The first
purpose of this review is to give a general overview on the latest experimental
developments in atom-surface physics. The second main objective is to sketch a
vision of the future of the field, mainly inspired by the abundant theoretical
works and proposals available now in the literature.
