Quantum locking (levitation) will blow your mind — but how does it work?

[pokerfan]

In case you haven't seen it yet, here's the quantum levitation (or, more accurately, quantum locking) http://youtu.be/Ws6AAhTw7RA">video that's taken the internet by storm in the last 36 hours.

And while quantum locking (also known as "flux pinning") may not have anything to do with Weeping Angels, it's still pretty freaking amazing. But how does it work, and where the hell is your hoverboard?

http://io9.com/5850729/quantum-locking-will-blow-your-mind--but-how-does-it-work

[MrScorpio]

1. Fuck you, Gravity

OK… Where's my goddamned FLYING CAR?

[pokerfan]

2. so cool that the author knows about Weeping Angels and physics

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weeping_Angels

[dtexdem]

3. But quantum-locked angels can't dance on heads of pins.

;-)

[pokerfan]

4. Yeah, quantum-locked angels don't do much of anything

[The Doctor.]

10. They can when you're not looking.

But then how would you know?

[leveymg]

5. electromagnetic forces are nothing new. Controlling an object suspended above or below is.

This will revolutionize ground transportation, eventually. A lot of other fields as well, like spinning components inside motors that require no lubricant and never wear out. This could spell the very death of petrol dinosaur economy we're all slaves to.

My biggest question is, what's the net energy savings on this versus wheels and conventional bearings? At the moment, I would think, there will have to be some very steep savings in electicity needed to reach break even and make this viable commercially. Remarkable, nonetheless.

[pokerfan]

6. room temperature superconductors are needed

to bring all this exotic stuff from the lab out into the real world.

[leveymg]

8. How close are we to THAT?

Also, are there enough rare earths needed to make this work on a giant scale, like the Interstate Highway system or the rail lines?

[caraher]

9. 24 years ago was the "Woodstock of Physics" APS meeting...

Back then, when the first "warm" superconductors were announced, there was a lot of excitement about the prospects for getting to room temperature, but the work seems to have hit a few walls. The main problems are that nobody can get them to work at anything close to warm enough, and most of the materials have terrible mechanical properties (you can't draw wires from a brittle material).

Even liquid nitrogen temperature would revolutionize a lot of applications if you could make functioning wires out of this stuff. But we're almost up to a quarter-century of trying very hard with only small progress.

[leveymg]

11. Thanks for that info. Fascinating subject. I'll look into it further.

Any suggested introductory reading on where we are and what need to happen to get there? Thnx.

[caraher]

15. Here's a nice survey

http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110720/full/475280a.html">Nature looks at 25 years of (relatively) high temperature superconductivity research.

[pokerfan]

13. I think we're closer to fusion power

and even that continues to remain where it's been for the last fifty years: about ten years out.

[laconicsax]

7. Looks pretty indistinguishable from magic. n/t

[pokerfan]

14. An Arthur C. Clarke fan

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

[PETRUS]

12. Freaky cool. nt

[Occulus]

16. I think the commercial applications of this speak for themselves

I'd like to know how this scales, myself. It's obviously useful.

edit: forgot about the superconducting material used. That's gotta be cold at the moment in order to work.

[DaveJ]

17. I predict it will never scale well

And I'm also pessimistic about anyone discovering a room temperature superconductor.

The best we can hope, in terms of flying cars for instance, is that someone develops a massive energy source than can keep superconductors cold and heavy cars afloat. Lack of energy is our main problem in most areas, imo.