"Quantum" Levitation

[TEG]

View attachment 3239

A Leaper, eh?
Flickr: ideowl's stuff tagged with scottbacula

 

[JRP3]

Those of you with backgrounds in materials science, ceramics engineering or graduate-level physics may recognize this phenomenon as something similar to the Meissner-Ochsenfeld effect, though strictly speaking what you're witnessing is not a result of the Meissner effect.
In the Meissner effect, the superconductor that is placed within the magnetic field deflects the field entirely (see the image pictured here), such that none of the field passes through the object itself. But as Hanson points out, the thinness of the superconductive coating featured in the quantum locking video allows for the magnetic field to penetrate it (albeit in discrete quantities) wherever there exist defects in the superconductor's molecular structure. This penetration gives rise to the "flux tubes" (again, pictured alongside Hanson's explanation), which pass through the inert crystal sapphire wafer and "trap" it in midair. This trapping provides the typically wobbly "levitation" characteristic of the Meissner effect a stiffer quality.

http://io9.com/5850729/quantum-locking-will-blow-your-mind--but-how-does-it-work

 

[doug]

http://io9.com/5850729/quantum-locking-will-blow-your-mind--but-how-does-it-work

I don't want to get in to a deep physics discussion here, but I'm gonna just have to say BS. Like I said, the thin film is novel. But it's still essentially the Meissner effect (sometimes called a mixed state). The description of formation of flux tubes is accurate, but this is still flux pinning. These are characteristics of Type II superconductors.

 

[JRP3]

I did notice the difference between the wobbly effect in the CU video you posted compared to the stiffer effect in the "quantum" videos. Are you saying it's just the Miessner effect working on a thinner superconductor?

 

[doug]

Basically yes.

 

[vfx]

Used as an advertising tool.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/401902/november-09-2011/americone-dream-of-the-future

 

[doug]

Used as an advertising tool.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/401902/november-09-2011/americone-dream-of-the-future

Heh, that was great. Colbert's description was perfectly accurate, btw. He even specified type II superconductor.

You can tell they were using the standard "thick" superconductor there by the way the carton (with LN2 temperature cuprate superconductor stuck at the bottom) snapped into place, as in the Cornell vids I posted.

 

[doug]

I did notice the difference between the wobbly effect in the CU video you posted compared to the stiffer effect in the "quantum" videos. Are you saying it's just the Miessner effect working on a thinner superconductor?

I guess I should point out that the wobbliness actually means it's a "stronger" superconductor. It means there is a restoring force that physically pushes the superconductor back into the field alignment that was present when the superconducting material was cooled below Tc.

The thin film superconductor appears "stiff" because it doesn't have as strong of a restoring force. In fact the experimenter is able to reposition it by hand, and the field from the superconductor assumes a new orientation. So if it moves, it just stays in the new position instead of snapping back.

 

[dpeilow]

 

[AnOutsider]

The smoke trails make it all the better!

 

[dpeilow]

They *have* to make a full size one of those.