Is Magnetic Levitation Used in Atom Smashers?

[BGreene]

Is magnetic levitation used in any way, in atom smashers?

Thank you

 

[chroot]

Well, magnets are used to steer the particles around in circles in most accelerators -- but I'm not sure exactly what you'd define as "levitation," though.

- Warren

 

[marlon]

What do you mean by levitation ?

 

[ZapperZ]

Is magnetic levitation used in any way, in atom smashers?

Thank you

Also, why would there need to be any "levitation" since gravity is insignificant in a particle accelerator? You are welcome to visit, for example, any synchrotron center and ask the operators if they have to compensate for the "weight" of those electrons even after they make a gazillion passes in the storage ring.

Zz.

 

[BGreene]

Oh yes! it never occurred to me that gravity doesn't matter at all! hehehe! however, i wanted to know whether magnetic levitation is used to keep particles in place... like hover them... tht's kind of a "levitation" right? and how can i contact accelerator officials? (any accelerator... fermilabs, for instance..)

 

[BGreene]

i would also like to know about the technology applications of magnetic levitation, apart from the maglev trains...

thank u

 

[ZapperZ]

Oh yes! it never occurred to me that gravity doesn't matter at all! hehehe! however, i wanted to know whether magnetic levitation is used to keep particles in place... like hover them... tht's kind of a "levitation" right? and how can i contact accelerator officials? (any accelerator... fermilabs, for instance..)

Chroot has explained that magnetic fields are used for steering, etc. Why would anyone want these particles to just "hover", especially when we consider that gasses can do that without any assistance?

You are in contact with at least one "accelerator official" right this very moment.

Zz.

 

[BGreene]

which means you are one... kool! which accelerator do u work at?

 

[ZapperZ]

which means you are one... kool! which accelerator do u work at?

I work at the Argonne Wakefield Accelerator.

Zz.

 

[BGreene]

what's the difference between magnetic resonance and magnetic levitation? magRes is used in smashers right?

 

[Cyclotron Boy]

Magnetic resonance, Magnetic levitation, etc.

Magnetic levitation is used to lift trains (and other things) with opposing magnetic fields. Particle accelerators do not. Gravity doesn't really play in accelerators, as the particles are being held in place with forces lots stronger than gravity. Particles are bent and focused in tight beams with special dipole and quadrupole magnets. These magnets force the particles together very strongly, much stronger in fact than gravity.

Magnetic resonance comes in two forms, charged particle magnetic resonance (like in a cyclotron) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). NMR is not used in particle accelerators, and is in fact not really even related Wikipedia has a nice article on NMR. Cyclotrons use a magnetic field to bend charged particles in circular arcs. If you give the particles a "kick" so they go faster at just the right speed, when the particle comes back around, you will be ready to "kick" them again. This is particle magnetic resonance. Neither charged particle magnetic resonance nor NMR have anything to do with magnetic levitation.

BTW- I worked for 8 years at Fermilab. If you want to ask a question, just surf to their 'Ask a Physicist' page and enter a question!

Hope this helps,
-F

 

[meteor]

i would also like to know about the technology applications of magnetic levitation, apart from the maglev trains...

Magnetic sheet floaters
http://www.emagindia.com/sheet.htm#HOW

 

[Janitor]

It seems I read that member krab also works at an accelerator lab.

 

[humanino]

"Magnetic levitation and MHD propulsion", J. Phys. III France 4 (1994) 581-593
http://www.edpsciences.org/articles/jp3/abs/1994/04/jp3v4p581/jp3v4p581.html

 

[BGreene]

. Particles are bent and focused in tight beams with special dipole and quadrupole magnets. These magnets force the particles together very strongly, much stronger in fact than gravity.

isn't it a kind of levitation?

i have a physics presentation on applications of magnetic levitation in technology... i thought P.A.s use levitation to steer particles...

is maglev used solely to defy gravity? isn't steering the particles magnetic levitation?

thanks...

 

[ZapperZ]

isn't it a kind of levitation?

i have a physics presentation on applications of magnetic levitation in technology... i thought P.A.s use levitation to steer particles...

is maglev used solely to defy gravity? isn't steering the particles magnetic levitation?

thanks...

No it isn't, because the particles are ALREADY "levitated". Gravity is insignificant in particle accelerators. To be levitated means you need another set of forces to over come gravity. This isn't applicable in the setting of a particle accelerators. So why would we need to even levitate it more with magnetic fields?

You seem to be so obsessed with "particle accelerators" and "magnetic levitation" that you somehow refuse to accept that gravity plays no role in particle accelerators. If you want examples of magnetic levitation, you have to look elsewhere other than particle accelerators.

Zz.

 

[Janitor]

I will make the guess that if the Jolly Green Giant were to grab an entire accelerator lab and turn it upside down, and re-make all the electrical connections that got ripped up in the process, the accelerator would function just as well. That is a half-serious way of saying that the devices that keep the beam on track are not designed with any particular concern about gravity acting on the beam particles.