Measuring the interaction force between a high temperature superconductor and a permanent magnet

TL;DR

This paper presents a simple, cost-effective experimental method to measure the magnetic interaction forces between a high-temperature superconductor and a permanent magnet, aiding in understanding and potential applications of magnetic levitation.

Contribution

It introduces an easy-to-implement measurement technique using an electronic balance and rare-earth magnet for quantifying superconductor-magnet forces.

Findings

Quantified attractive and repulsive forces between superconductor and magnet.

Demonstrated simultaneous levitation and suspension for educational purposes.

Provided a practical approach for rapid force measurement in superconductivity studies.

Abstract

Repulsive and attractive forces are both possible between a superconducting sample and a permanent magnet, and they can give place to magnetic levitation or free-suspension phenomena, respectively. We show experiments to quantify this magnetic interaction which represents a promising field regarding to short-term technological applications of high temperature superconductors. The measuring technique employs an electronic balance and a rare-earth magnet that induces a magnetic moment in a melt-textured YBa2Cu3O7 superconductor immersed in liquid nitrogen. The simple design of the experiments allows a fast and easy implementation in the advanced physics laboratory with a minimum cost. Actual levitation and suspension demonstrations can be done simultaneously as a help to interpret magnetic force measurements.