Superconducting Magnetic Levitation (MagLev) on a Magnetic Track

As featured on the Nov. 9 2011episode of the Colbert Report! Link: http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colb...

From the Low Temperature Lab: A flux-pinning enhanced superconducting puck levitates above and is pinned to a magnetic figure-8 track. This demonstrates the quantum physical effect of superconductivity and the Meissner Effect as well as magnetic flux pinning. The puck is accelerated using the motors from a toy car track set. See more at our website: http://www.ithaca.edu/hs/depts/physic... and our paper here: http://arxiv.org/abs/0803.3090

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  Science & Technology

[JD Sweet]

Do you think it has a speed limit before it becomes unbound from the field?

[Ithaca College Physics]

Yes, it becomes unbound at about 6 mph.

[Dangomaify]

Where Did you get the Superconductive magnet and how much was it?

[Ithaca College Physics]

You can get some demonstration ones from science companies or from us at Ithaca College for ~$200 or so (0.5 inch diameter). Really good ones from Germany (evico.de) cost ~$700 (one inch diameter).

[Fundament Justice]

Hi, I have superconductor a liquid nitrogen, I am trying to build my own magnetick rail, I build a short one, but it was extremely tuff, because magnets do NOT stick to each other in configuration (polarity indication follows)

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

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Did you used metal surface below or some strong glue? Thanks for response!!!

[boulevard001]

Why the smoke?

[Ithaca College Physics]

They posted a "how we did it" link on their original video page, showing how they created the CGI images.

[Kenceo]

How do you know?

[JD Sweet]

Really? It looks like it was doing at least 10 MPH. Pretty interesting though thanks. I was working on something similar for magnetic braking but used a vehicle on track that engages magnets on both sides of a rail to slow it down from high speed.

[Css0897]

It still requires a form of energy to move it, only it has no wheels to put energy into the ground. This is why they use the hotwheels motor thing.

[denzelman345]

I can't believe they don't make cars driving on quantum levitation! it would spare a lot of oil and stop a war!