With the post-annealing process suspended for a few days as the oxygen tank arrives from being ordered, we had some down time. Some YBCO had been prepared by another member of the Seshadri group, and Ram had just bought us an impressive set of magnets. After obtaining some liquid nitrogen, we had enough materials to start playing with them trying to work on the construction of both the magnetic track and the vehicle that would be levitating.
The day itself was rather unstructured and really was playing with the materials, however with a purpose. The first time that the superconductor sat hovering over the magnetic track, seemingly sitting on an invisible platform was a truly remarkable site.
From the day's work, several ideas were tried and dismissed. Others were attempted and failed miserably. Some ideas showed signs of progress. I anticipate that the construction of the vehicle will become more sophisticated, and the more we experiment with the materials, they more we will understand their properties--intuitively if not theoretically.
Conclusions:
-The cylinder styrofoam we bought is porous and leaks liquid nitrogen. If used, a lining may be necessary. However, the square styrofoam is dense enough to hold a liquid. (Picture is a styrofoam boat lined with plastic, containing a superconductor pellet that is levitating a small magnet)
- The YBCO will levitate through a styrofoam barrier. When YBCO was placed in a styrofoam boat with liquid nitrogen, it levitated and the styrofoam could be moved freely between the pellet and the magnets. Thus, the pellet does not necessarily need to be directly over the magnets. There can be a thin substance between them.
- Getting lift from the YBCO will be difficult. We can get it to levitate, but engineering a vehicle that will experience lift was a struggle. The YBCO will need to be attached to the vehicle so that they move as a unit. Also, weight will be an issue.
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