Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Rigid levitation and suspension of high-temperature superconductors by magnets

Journal Article · · American Journal of Physics; (USA)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1119/1.16317· OSTI ID:7243106
 [1]
  1. Max-Planck-Institut fuer Metallforschung, Institut fuer Physik, D7000 Stuttgart 80, Federal Republic of Germany (DE)
A high-{ital T}{sub {ital c}} superconductor floating freely above a magnet of low symmetry remains rigidly suspended in the air in almost any position and orientation as if stuck in an invisible heap of sand. This striking effect is due to pinning of the magnetic flux lines inside the superconductor and is often overlooked, since usually magnets with rotational symmetry are used for levitation. Magnets with rotational symmetry allow for nearly undamped orbiting and rotation of the superconductor about the magnet's symmetry axis. But even in this geometry, flux-line pinning can be seen, since it forces the orbiting superconductor to turn the same face toward the axis. Superconductors with sufficiently strong pinning may even be suspended below a magnet.
OSTI ID:
7243106
Journal Information:
American Journal of Physics; (USA), Journal Name: American Journal of Physics; (USA) Vol. 58:1; ISSN AJPIA; ISSN 0002-9505
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Friction in levitated superconductors
Journal Article · Mon Oct 17 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · Appl. Phys. Lett.; (United States) · OSTI ID:6844908

Magnetic field controlled levitation and suspension of a magnet above and below type II superconductors
Journal Article · Mon Oct 02 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · Applied Physics Letters; (USA) · OSTI ID:5574606

Static levitation in a high- T sub c superconductor tile on magnet arrangements
Journal Article · Wed May 15 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Journal of Applied Physics; (USA) · OSTI ID:5553156