Amazing Quantum Levitation Demonstration Video

[wuliheron]

I found this great demonstration video of quantum levitation and just had to share it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ws6AAhTw7RA

 

[Proton Soup]

weird. what's it doing, becoming some kind of semipermanent magnet?

 

[zoobyshoe]

That was really weird. I have no idea what's going on there.

 

[ZapperZ]

I still wonder why they call it "quantum levitation".

Zz.

 

[wuliheron]

Here's a brief description of how it works:

"A single crystal of sapphire wafer is coated with a thin ceramic material called yttrium barium copper oxide. The ceramic layer has no interesting magnetic or electrical properties at room temperature, but when cooled below -185ºC (-301ºF) the material becomes a superconductor. It conducts electricity without resistance, with no energy loss.

Superconductivity and magnetic field do not like each other. When possible, the superconductor will expel all the magnetic field from inside. This is the Meissner effect. In this case, since the superconductor is extremely thin, the magnetic field DOES penetrates. However, it does that in discrete quantities called flux tubes.

Inside each magnetic flux tube superconductivity is locally destroyed. The superconductor will try to keep the magnetic tubes pinned in weak areas. Any spatial movement of the superconductor will cause the flux tubes to move. In order to prevent that the superconductor remains “trapped” in midair."

http://unknownskywalker.tumblr.com/post/11641560352/quantum-levitation-a-single-crystal-of-sapphire

So it isn't just a magnetic effect, but a superconducting quantum effect on the magnetic field.

 

[Mororvia]

I still wonder why they call it "quantum levitation".

Zz.

I know what you're saying, but it just sounds better than "superconducting yttrium barium copper oxide" ;)

"Quantum" makes it news worthy.

 

[QuarkCharmer]

This is awesome. After watching this I can't help buy wonder how one could get their hands on some YBCO.

 

[f95toli]

Nice demonstration of flux pinning.
But the fact that the guy kept referring to it a "quantum locking" (or whatever it is he said) annoys me...

 

[bugatti79]

agree...people like using the word 'quantum' where they can for media embellishments :-)

 

[FlexGunship]

Here's a brief description of how it works:

"A single crystal of sapphire wafer is coated with a thin ceramic material called yttrium barium copper oxide. The ceramic layer has no interesting magnetic or electrical properties at room temperature, but when cooled below -185ºC (-301ºF) the material becomes a superconductor. It conducts electricity without resistance, with no energy loss.

Superconductivity and magnetic field do not like each other. When possible, the superconductor will expel all the magnetic field from inside. This is the Meissner effect. In this case, since the superconductor is extremely thin, the magnetic field DOES penetrates. However, it does that in discrete quantities called flux tubes.

Inside each magnetic flux tube superconductivity is locally destroyed. The superconductor will try to keep the magnetic tubes pinned in weak areas. Any spatial movement of the superconductor will cause the flux tubes to move. In order to prevent that the superconductor remains “trapped” in midair."

http://unknownskywalker.tumblr.com/post/11641560352/quantum-levitation-a-single-crystal-of-sapphire

So it isn't just a magnetic effect, but a superconducting quantum effect on the magnetic field.

Usually I can instantly spot the difference between science and bunk... but... uh... I'm torn!

"Superconductivity?" Got it!
"Messier Effect?" Rock on!
"Yttrium barium copper oxide?" Um, yeah, okay.
"Ceramic coated crystal?" Uhhh...
"Flux tubes?" No, no, no, no...

 

[wuliheron]

Usually I can instantly spot the difference between science and bunk... but... uh... I'm torn!

"Superconductivity?" Got it!
"Messier Effect?" Rock on!
"Yttrium barium copper oxide?" Um, yeah, okay.
"Ceramic coated crystal?" Uhhh...
"Flux tubes?" No, no, no, no...

Substance
Too much colour blinds the eye,
Too much music deafens the ear,
Too much taste dulls the palate,
Too much play maddens the mind,
Too much desire tears the heart.
In this manner the sage cares for people:
He provides for the belly, not for the senses;
He ignores abstraction and holds fast to substance.
Lao Tzu

 

[FlexGunship]

Substance
Too much colour blinds the eye,
Too much music deafens the ear,
Too much taste dulls the palate,
Too much play maddens the mind,
Too much desire tears the heart.
In this manner the sage cares for people:
He provides for the belly, not for the senses;
He ignores abstraction and holds fast to substance.
Lao Tzu

Oh okay, I get it now. Thanks.

 

[f95toli]

Usually I can instantly spot the difference between science and bunk... but... uh... I'm torn!

"Superconductivity?" Got it!
"Messier Effect?" Rock on!
"Yttrium barium copper oxide?" Um, yeah, okay.
"Ceramic coated crystal?" Uhhh...
"Flux tubes?" No, no, no, no...

I am not sure what you are referring to, wuliheron's description was pretty accurate.
Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide (YBa_2Cu_3O_(7-delta), or YBCO for short) is a very common superconductor, which as it happens is also a ceramic material and obviously an oxide.

"Flux tubes" are more or less "concentrated flux" which occur due to flux quantization in superconductors and -in this case- have the shape of tubes, these tubes do not move easily (they are "pinned") which is why the YBCO is stable when levitating (you can also have things like flux pancakes).
If you want to read up on the physics of this you should look up Abrikosov Vortices.

 

[giann_tee]

Which equations draw the magnetic field lines connected with the flux tubes?

 

[DaveC426913]

The big question is: can I get one in time for Christmas to put next to my Levitron?

 

[Proton Soup]

if I'm interpreting this correctly, the individual "flux tubes" will have rings of current superconducting around them. so you've got a bunch of localized superconducting electron donuts that lock in place, right?

 

[Loren Booda]

No wonder why superconductivity is one of the most difficult and profound areas of physics to understand.

 

[giann_tee]

if I'm interpreting this correctly, the individual "flux tubes" will have rings of current superconducting around them. so you've got a bunch of localized superconducting electron donuts that lock in place, right?

I was reading last night and...

The magnetic field lines are entering the Abrikosov vortices - miniature supercurrents (suppercurrent cells) around the non-superconducting impurities in a very thin, type 2 superconductor. Here, the flux lines form a "flux tube". The flux tubes are difficult to displace in any direction in space, so the superconductor is trapped, locked by the magnetic field.

The size of a single vortex is about the coherence length (a kind of correlation length) of the given superconductor. The vortex is bound by the London penetration depth - the size to which the magnetic field can penetrate near the surface of a superconductor. The superconductors tend to remove all field lines from their insides by means of resistance-free supercurrents that flow in the presence of the field.

So, the point is that the superconductor possesses the particular microscale structure built from vortices of supercurrents.

When you attempt to move the superconductor, there is a minute difficulty followed by a stable, fixed position in the magnetic field. This property is periodic in space, probably in relation with the distinctiveness of individual flux tube positions.

[This is from wikipedia, with the imagination filling in for the most part.]

 

[giann_tee]

I was reading last night and...

The magnetic field lines are entering the Abrikosov vortices - miniature supercurrents (suppercurrent cells) around the non-superconducting impurities in a very thin, type 2 superconductor. Here, the flux lines form a "flux tube". The flux tubes are difficult to displace in any direction in space, so the superconductor is trapped, locked by the magnetic field.

The size of a single vortex is about the coherence length (a kind of correlation length) of the given superconductor. The vortex is bound by the London penetration depth - the size to which the magnetic field can penetrate near the surface of a superconductor. The superconductors tend to remove all field lines from their insides by means of resistance-free supercurrents that flow in the presence of the field.

So, the point is that the superconductor possesses the particular microscale structure built from vortices of supercurrents.

When you attempt to move the superconductor, there is a minute difficulty followed by a stable, fixed position in the magnetic field. This property is periodic in space, probably in relation with the distinctiveness of individual flux tube positions.

[This is from wikipedia, with the imagination filling in for the most part.]

...And, after some more reading, this is not entirely good. The problem is in "impurities". The Abrikosov vortices of supercurrents are associated with the flux tubes. Imagine a small, round chunk of impurity present to the side of a vertically positioned flux tube. If you try to move the flux tube (by moving the magnet) to the side and across the impurity, the flux tube bends elastically and defies such change for a brief while, as if it could not go through the impurity.

 

[OmCheeto]

As I was sitting on my quantum throne a few weeks ago, I was contemplating how to explain to Arcananoir how a similar thing could be possible.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=3523118&postcount=1266

Visions of translational magnetic flux fields generating toroidal electric fields which in turn generated still more complex magnetic flux fields saturated my brain. I decided that only RonL could imagine such complexity. I gave up.

Interesting that it's the 100 year anniversary of it's discovery, and we're still scratching our heads.

Onnes's research into the resistivity of solid mercury at cryogenic temperatures was accomplished by using liquid helium as a refrigerant. On April 8, 1911, 16:00 hours Onnes noted "Kwik nagenoeg nul", which translates as [Resistance of] mercury almost zero.

 

[wuliheron]

Interesting that it's the 100 year anniversary of it's discovery, and we're still scratching our heads.

Use a nice soothing ointment if you must, but stop scratching! Sometimes with things like good sex the last thing you really want or need is an explanation.

 

[DaveC426913]

Sometimes with things like good sex the last thing you really want or need is ...

...anything needing scratching.

 

[wuliheron]

...anything needing scratching.

Try rubbing or sniffing or whatever. Scratching just isn't the only way.

 

[HeLiXe]

Quantum levitation is great, but don't forget to buy your quantum leaping pendant...advertisement here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
and occasionally on PF

 

[DoggerDan]

Cool! I love the difference between the symmetric and asymmetric fields.

 

[jetwaterluffy]

As I was sitting on my quantum throne a few weeks ago, I was contemplating how to explain to Arcananoir how a similar thing could be possible.

Would that be the smallest throne possible by the laws of physics, then, seeing as it is a "quantum"?

 

[dumboy]

I saw this video on 'quantum' levitation which was not much different from others except for 'double levitation

does anyone know why the two superconductors change their directions after passing each other?