The Superconductivity Group School of Physics and Astronomy at Tel Aviv University has demonstrated quantum locking in action. The video was recorded at the Association of Science – Technology Centers Annual Conference and has already been viewed nearly 800,000 times in two days.

The video posted on YouTube on Oct. 16 by ASTCvideos shows a permanent magnet being used to levitate a thin superconductor layer in an effect called quantum levitation. The superconductor can seemingly “hover” in space and even move along a track freely because the magnetic field remains the same.

Quantumlevitation.com has provided more information regarding the factors which perform their role. The semiconductor (0.5 micron) is coated with a sapphire crystal (500 micron) layer wrapped in plastic and chilled in liquid nitrogen. The end result is that the chilled wafer is essentially locked in space above the magnet.

This works because at a normal state (warm), the magnetic field is able to penetrate freely. Cooling creates quantum trapping and the magnetic field penetrates in the form of quantum flux tubes. The quantum flux tubes are pinned in defects, locking the superconductor in space and allowing frictionless movement.

Check out the video.

YouTube Video