Magnetic Levitation

[Esrat]

Magnetic fields are actively excluded from superconductors (Meissner effect). If a small magnet is brought near a superconductor, it will be repelled because of induced supercurrents will produce mirror images of each pole. If a small permanent magnet is placed above a superconductor, it can be levitated by this repulsive force. Levitation currents in the superconductor produce effective magnetic poles that repel and support the magnet. The black ceramic material in the illustrations is a sample of the yttrium based superconductor.