Optical motion control of maglev graphite
December 31, 2012
Graphite has been known as a typical diamagnetic material and can be levitated in the strong magnetic field. Here we show that the magnetically levitating pyrolytic graphite can be moved in the arbitrary place by simple photoirradiation. It is notable that the optical motion control system described in this paper requires only NdFeB permanent magnets and light source.
The optical movement is driven by photothermally induced changes in the magnetic susceptibility of the graphite. Moreover, we demonstrate that light energy can be converted into rotational kinetic energy by means of the photothermal property. We find that the levitating graphite disk rotates at over 200 rpm under the sunlight, making it possible to develop a new class of light energy conversion system.
— Masayuki Kobayashi and Jiro Abe
H/T: ian Clarke
Video Source: Masayuki Kobayashi and Jiro Abe, Aoyama Gakuin University
Comments (4)
by GrahamRounce
Is it superconducting? If not, how is it levitating?
What is the force/efficiency?
by Blade
I am not a scientist, but I love discovery. I visit this site everyday and had my daughter bookmark it, because she’ll be studying chemistry next year in college.
The video may show something small, but I believe the impact will be huge and not only in the energy market.
Love it.
by Leo Allen
May your daughter be blessed. The human race needs scientists like her and many more. Because, the technological barriers can be daunting when compared to our short lifespan. This is the only way that significant progress can be made in an uncertain future.
by Adam Skriver
Is there sufficient change in the magnetic flux from the rotation of the disk to be captured by an external coil? I would be interested to see this experiment mounted in a vacuum with an external pick up coil.