# Magnetic levitation - superconductors

1. Oct 27, 2015

### skrat

The question I have is rather simple and straightforward so here it is: How much weight can a magnet support and still levitate above a superconductor?

We all know about super fast levitating trains and I want to use the same idea for something else. However before looking deeper into magnetic levitation and starting a research I would like to make sure it is actually even possible.

So putting a permanent magnet above a superconductor:
- does it barely levitate or
- could it hold $1000m$ and still levitate if $m$ is the mass of the magnet?

I am not looking for an analytic solution. Just a rough guess or a link to some article would be good enough at the moment! Basically the whole idea is that I want to lift (for a couple of mm would suffice) an object using a levitation. The levitation has to be stable.

Thanks for all the help!

Last edited: Oct 27, 2015
2. Oct 27, 2015

### Staff: Mentor

That's not unrealistic.

This paper could have numbers.