Effects of a Conducting Sphere Moving Through a Gradient Magnetic Field

TL;DR

This paper investigates the behavior of conducting spheres moving through magnetic field gradients, deriving analytical solutions, conducting experiments, and simulations to understand effects across different magnetic Reynolds number regimes, including sphere deformation.

Contribution

It introduces an analytical approximation for sphere motion in magnetic gradients and verifies it through experiments and simulations, considering both low and high Reynolds number regimes.

Findings

Analytical solution matches experimental data in low Reynolds number regime.

Sphere deformation observed at high Reynolds number regimes.

Potential application in designing space debris protection systems.

Abstract

We examine several conducting spheres moving through a magnetic field gradient. An analytical approximation is derived and an experiment is conducted to verify the analytical solution. The experiment is simulated as well to produce a numerical result. Both the low and high magnetic Reynolds number regimes are studied. Deformation of the sphere is noted in the high Reynolds number case. It is suggested that this deformation effect could be useful for designing or enhancing present protection systems against space debris.