In 2021, Turkish researcher Hamdi Ucar discovered a novel form of magnetic levitation, where a rapidly rotating magnet caused a close-by magnet to levitate. This phenomenon, which defied classical physics, was reproduced and studied by Professor Rasmus Bjørk and his group. They found that the levitating magnet aligns with the spinning magnet, developing an equilibrium similar to a spinning top. Credit: SciTechDaily.comScientists from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) have actually validated the underlying physics of a freshly found phenomenon of magnet levitation.In 2021, a scientist from Turkey published a term paper detailing an experiment where a magnet was connected to a motor, causing it to rotate rapidly. When this setup was brought near a 2nd magnet, the 2nd magnet started to turn and all of a sudden hovered in a set position a few centimeters away.While magnetic levitation is nothing new– the best-known example is probably Maglev trains that depend on a strong magnetic force for lift and propulsion– the experiment puzzled physicists as this phenomenon was not explained by classical physics, or, at least, by any of recognized mechanism of magnetic levitation.Magnetic levitation showed utilizing a Dremel tool spinning a magnet at 266 Hz. The rotor magnet is 7x7x7 mm3 and the floater magnet is 6x6x6 mm3. This video reveals the physics described in the research. Credit: DTU.It is now. Rasmus Bjørk, a professor at DTU Energy, was intrigued by Ucars experiment and set out to reproduce it with MSc student Joachim M. Hermansen while finding out exactly what was going on. The duplicating was easy and could be done by utilizing off-the-shelf components, however the physics of it was unusual, states Rasmus Bjørk:” Magnets should not hover when they are close together. Generally, they will either draw in or fend off each other. If you spin one of the magnets, it turns out, you can accomplish this hovering. Which is the unusual part. The force affecting the magnets should not alter just due to the fact that you rotate among them, so it appears there is a coupling between the motion and the magnetic force,” he says.The outcomes have recently been published in the journal Physics Review Applied.Several experiments to confirm the physicsThe experiments involved several magnets of varying sizes, but the principle remained the very same: By rotating a magnet extremely fast the researchers observed how another magnet in close proximity, dubbed a “floater magnets,” began spinning at the very same speed while it rapidly locked into a position where it stayed hovering.They discovered that as the floater magnet locked into position, it was oriented close to the axis of rotation and towards the like pole of the rotor magnet. For circumstances, the north pole of the floater magnet, while it was spinning, remained pointing towards the north pole of the fixed magnet.This is different from what was anticipated based on the laws of magnetostatics, which explain how a fixed magnetic system functions. As it turns out, however, the magnetostatic interactions between the rotating magnets are exactly what is responsible for developing the stability position of the floater, as co-author PhD-student Frederik L. Durhuus discovered utilizing simulations of the phenomenon. They observed a considerable effect of magnet size on levitation characteristics: smaller sized magnets needed higher rotation speeds for levitation due to their bigger inertia and the greater it would drift.” It ends up that the floater magnet desires to align itself with the spinning magnet, however it can not spin quickly enough to do so. And for as long as this coupling is maintained it will levitate or hover,” says Rasmus Bjørk, and continues:” You might compare it to a spinning top. It will not stand unless it is spinning but is locked into position by its rotation. It is only when the rotation loses energy that the force of gravity– or in our case the push and pull of the magnets– becomes big enough to overcome the balance.” Reference: “Magnetic levitation by rotation” by Joachim Marco Hermansen, Frederik Laust Durhuus, Cathrine Frandsen, Marco Beleggia, Christian R.H. Bahl and Rasmus Bjørk, 13 October 2023, Physical Review Applied.DOI: 10.1103/ PhysRevApplied.20.044036.
In 2021, Turkish scientist Hamdi Ucar found a novel type of magnetic levitation, where a rapidly turning magnet triggered a neighboring magnet to levitate. They discovered that the levitating magnet lines up with the spinning magnet, producing a stability similar to a spinning top. When this setup was brought near a 2nd magnet, the 2nd magnet started to turn and suddenly hovered in a fixed position a couple of centimeters away.While magnetic levitation is nothing brand-new– the best-known example is probably Maglev trains that rely on a strong magnetic force for lift and propulsion– the experiment puzzled physicists as this phenomenon was not described by classical physics, or, at least, by any of known mechanism of magnetic levitation.Magnetic levitation demonstrated using a Dremel tool spinning a magnet at 266 Hz. The force affecting the magnets need to not alter simply because you turn one of them, so it appears there is a coupling between the movement and the magnetic force,” he says.The outcomes have just recently been released in the journal Physics Review Applied.Several experiments to verify the physicsThe experiments included numerous magnets of differing sizes, however the concept stayed the exact same: By turning a magnet really quickly the scientists observed how another magnet in close distance, dubbed a “floater magnets,” began spinning at the very same speed while it quickly locked into a position where it stayed hovering.They discovered that as the floater magnet locked into position, it was oriented close to the axis of rotation and towards the like pole of the rotor magnet.
