The Floating Superconductor: Newsletter Challenge (September 2011)

I think because the generated magnetic field in the superconductor is not perfectly homogeneous?

Because it becomes a magnetic mirror of the P.M.

"In a weak applied field, a superconductor "expels" nearly all magnetic flux. It does this by setting up electric currents near its surface. The magnetic field of these surface currents cancels the applied magnetic field within the bulk of the superconductor. As the field expulsion, or cancellation, does not change with time, the currents producing this effect (called persistent currents) do not decay with time. Therefore the conductivity can be thought of as infinite: a superconductor.

"Persistent electric current flows on the surface of the superconductor, acting to exclude the magnetic field of the magnet (Faraday's law of induction). This current effectively forms an electromagnet that repels the magnet."

This well worded explanation is compliments of Wiki; Meissner Effect.

A GA for getting it right - but to add.

The conventional emf induction and force in a current carrying conductor laws apply - if the superconductor is placed over a magnetic pole then as SimpleMind says, "placing it in the magnetic filed induces a circular current" - fairly obvious if you imagine you were on the superconductor and looking down at magnetic flux lines radiating outwards and "upwards" from the magnetic pole as "you" moved down into the field.

Once the current has been developed in the superconductor it does not stop, because there is no electrical resistance AND this new circular current has its own circular magnetic field (circular around the current path) that interacts with the polar magnetic field (essentially according to F=BIL) the same as in an electric motor, and in this case in a direction that opposes the motion into the polar magnetic field - which is UP.

Those with a creative mind might wonder what would happen if the magnet and superconductor were held close together prior to cooling the superconductor and it were lifted up and away from the magnetic pole - it would be drawn DOWN!!

I suppose that the direction of the superconductor's rotation will be reversed in relation with the electrons' rotation inside it. Am I right?.....

I get that the acceleration of the non-zero mass electrons causes the superconductor to spin via conservation of momentum, and that there is zero electrical resistance slowing the electrons down. But will the electrons ever slow down due to damping by some other means? Gravitational resistance, resistance due to electrons colliding with other particles in the conductor, etc? Will drag on the spinning conductor slow it down, thereby slowing the electrons down once again by conservation of momentum? Or is this akin to a flywheel on frictionless magnetic bearings in an evacuated chamber that will never slow down once spun up?

Interesting comments/answers, but I always thought it was for the same reason water creates a vortex going down the drain...Earth rotation.

I doubt that its like the vortex down the plug hole thing - which is a result of Coriolis acceleration. i.e. lateral acceleration resulting from moving radially outward on a rotating disc and so acquiring increased lateral velocity.

My educated guess is that any spinning is a consequence of less than perfectly symmetrical placement in the magnetic field or any rotational component in the placement of the super conductor. Such things are likely to show up as a rotation - either through conservation o energy/momentum in the first case or as a way of equalising the initial current forces on entry. Stopping the rotation will stop the mass movement, but the circulating current will continue to circulate exactly as it was albeit on now constant physical path in the mass.

I'd have to say what we are seeing is gravity itself being used as a force here, in addition to what someone else said about our placement of the material into the magnetic field. In other words, the seems to be suspended because as gravity is pulling it down into the fields it's actually generating opposing magnetic fields in the superconductor. If you were to try and push it down further, you would only generate stronger fields in the material that would further repel it from the magnet.

As far as the spinning, I think its more like a frictionless bearing spinning under the momentum of the force we applied to it. Which eventually slows down do to friction with air. In the case of a cube shaped superconductor being spun on a horizontal axis (like a ferris wheel), the side of the cube that has to overcome the resistance to getting closer to the magnet is equalized by the oppisite side that is being repelled.

I've never worked with superconducting materials, but a fun experiment to try would be to place two identical pieces of superconducting materials connected together by some non ferris (plastic) material, and suspend them over a magnet. The idea being to try and create a kind of balance type scale. Then set it into a rocking motion. This might require an upright support of some kind for the pivot point.

No one is talking about effect of liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen has to do some thing here, otherwise OP would have not said it. I see two possibilities of its effect, which may be responsible for floating and spinning. (1) Conductivity of super conductor piece will be highest when it is taken out from liquid nitrogen at -196 degC, and then as its body temperature goes up conductivity is reducing. (2) Increase in temperature also creates turbulence in air between super conductor and magnet.

The rectangular shape also has to do some thing for this effect. The polarity of induced EMF may be changing continuously due to this even shape.

Superconductors are perfect diamagnets. Bismuth and graphite are really strong conventional ones but the effect is so weak that levitation in a gravitational field as strong as the Earth's is difficult. You can make it effectively stronger by immersing the body in a paramagnetic fluid. This creates a magnetically induced effective buoyancy. These bodies can spin but air resistance will damp them as well. They only STABLY levitate if other magnets or charges act on them as well or they rotate to stabilize themselves (c.f. Levitron).

Stable magnetic levitation is forbidden by Earnshaw's theorem for any collection of charges an multipoles. It is the nonclassical nature of diamagnetism in all cases that make this possible.

The superconducting phase transition only occurs at low temperatures. This causes the electrons to form a new phase akin to solid and liquid phase transitions. Just as there is a latent heat cost for solids and liquids, there is an "energy gap" that this phase requires. The makes it very expensive for a magnetic field to enter the body. The further you push it into the field the more it repels. This alone does not explain why the superconductor does not slide across the magnet and fall off. The STABLE aspect of levitation is only for "Type II" superconductors. These phase separate into a collection of vortices that let magnetic field penetrate the body and "pin" it in place. This same effect ultimately means these superconductors typically have finite (but small) resistance. The vortices get dragged across the sample and dissipate some energy at the wall where they die out.

can't brake a strong magnetic field the superconduction?

while placing the superconductor ahead the permanent magent, the magnetic fiel changes and induces a current inside the superconductor; this creates an inner magnetic field that lets the superconductor rotate; this rotation of the superdonductor is the mirror to the changing magnetic field of a static superconductor - same like generate electrical power in every power plant!

The permanent magnet's field induces an electrcal current within the superconductor, which in turn produces a magnatic field around the superconductor causing it to float.

Spinning I would guess is the result of changing polariity within the superconductor such that there is always a lateral force causing the rotation.

Once the temperature of the superconductor rises it will loose that ability and will fall.

the superconductor as he remains in that state creates without electrical field a inner electrical current, and when you apply the magnetic you get a force as in a motor, for some time at least I guess!