Meisner Effect

A rare-earth magnet levitated by a high-temperature superconductor. The black cylinder is the superconducting material and I poured liquid nitrogen on it to get it below its critical temperature (above Tc it's not a superconductor). The cube is a rare-earth magnet (probably neodymium-based). The phenomenon is called the Meisner Effect.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• superconductor
• Meisner effect
• magnet

[ohgeeitsph4rrah]

@LyriiczBoii literally!

[LyriiczBoii]

That is too cool to resist!

[mabraham1]

@FearMeexRawr - you can purchase LN2 and rent the required Dewar thermos at welding suppliers in most major cities. I live in Indianapolis, IN, and Airgas, Inc sold it to me for $15 + 50¢ a day.

[metamaterial]

Why does the nitrogen well up under the magnet as it does in 0:28 ? Is it avoiding the opposing field from the superconductor? Is it instead condensed oxygen? Is it a surface tension effect, as in tears of wine, from the gradient the comparatively warm magnet makes?

[MeteorMan05]

@loweshaw Well, MRI machines for one. Also, SQUIDs (superconducting quantum interference devices), also some new digital circuits, taking advantage of the 0 electrical resistance.

[loweshaw]

@MeteorMan05 no worries man. what electronics do they use that kind of thing in? sounds cool

[MeteorMan05]

@MeteorMan05 ...but is not being showcased here. So excuse me and my mix up. ;)

[MeteorMan05]

@loweshaw Well, I think you just corrected yourself. Quantum tunneling is occurring, as you said yourself. However, I think I am getting the mechanics confused between this ^ , a demonstration of the meisner effect, and applications of superconductors. Superconductors in the real life applications are usually applied as thin sheets in electronics, separated by another thin layer of some sort of insulator. Electrons are constantly tunneling through the insulator, which is what I'm referring to...

[loweshaw]

@loweshaw

plays no significant role in the behavior exhibited here. So maybe you know some terminology but im actually in nuclear engineering.

[loweshaw]

@loweshaw

This introduced a repulsive effect between the magnet and the superconductor. Then by allowing the magnetic flux to pass through the superconductor by holding the magnet and the superconductor close, the magnet and the superconductor become both repelled and attracted. This is what is called flux pinning. The combined interaction of flux pinning and the meisner effect is defined as superconducting levitation. Quantum tunneling though constantly occuring during all interactions,