Superconductor Magnetic Levitation |
 We
have been treated to videos of superconductor levitation for many years, so watching a super-cooled object float
above a magnet is nothing new. The novel factor in this demonstration is an effect called quantum flux tube
formation
(Trekkies must love that term) where the properties of the superconductor
are such that rather than completely repelling the magnetic filed, which is the norm for superconductors, portals
are created through the material where flux line clusters actually retain the puck. In the other demos, you see a
small puck levitating over a large magnet. Here, it is the opposite. Rather than being constrained by the magnetic
wrapping around the perimeter of the puck and pretty much locking it in place, this structure allows the
supercooled puck to move around within the field. It can run along a track impeded only by air resistance. Another
unique result of the quantum flux tubes is that not only can the puck float above the magnet, but it can also be
suspended beneath the magnet.The video and research was done by the superconductivity group at Tel Aviv University.
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9 Posted October 25, 2011 |
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