Levitate Me!

[enoch]

Forget a yogi bouncing around on his backside, levitation may soon be available to all of us.

Researchers Martin Tajmar and his team based in Austria have discovered that gravitomagnetism is a trillion times stronger when generated by a spinning superconductor.

Aswell as this discovery pointing towards a new quantum theory of gravity it also makes possible the stuff of sci-fi: a general purpose force field!!

I quote from this week's New Scientist magazine: "Let you imagination run wild: a gravitomagnetic device could levitate cars, create zero-g playgrounds, tractor beams to pull objects towards you and glassless windows that use the repulsive fields to prevent things passing through.

Times they are a changin' :wink:


A brief background to gravitomagnetism:-

We don't feel gravitomagnetism as we go about our everyday lives on Earth, but according to Einstein's theory of General Relativity it's real. When a planet (or a star or a black hole ... or anything massive) spins it pulls space and time around with it, an action known as "frame dragging." The fabric of spacetime twists like a vortex. Einstein tells us that all gravitational forces correspond to a bending of spacetime; the "twist" is gravitomagnetism.

What does gravitomagnetism do? "It can make the orbits of satellites precess," says Will, "and it would cause a gyroscope placed in Earth orbit to wobble." Both effects are small and difficult to measure.

There's an article in Time this week about new inventions which features a levitating bed that uses similar technology? I think? Anyway, the thing floats above the floor and is lightly tethered on all four corners, it can even support up to 2000 lbs. Crazy stuff. They say the magnetic field is safe for sleepers, but to take off your earings when vacuuming under the bed, lol.

[enoch]

:lol: ooo...what about 'other' piercings?? :shock:

:lol: ooo...what about 'other' piercings?? :shock:

LOL, OMG Enoch!!! :lol:

[wstein]

:lol: ooo...what about 'other' piercings?? :shock:
Better take those out too (or start a line of non-magnetic ones). A Million times greater is too much even for you :)

[oath]

This has been out for years, Its how bullet trains are powered. Apparently the biggest difficulty with it all is that they have to cool or chill the superconducter, in which they are avidly searching for one that can operate at room temperature.

[enoch]

Bullet trains use repelling magnets.

[oath]

Bullet trains use repelling magnets.

Whats the difference? Both are considered magnetic and probably employ the use of some kind of magnet. Im guessing this isnt much different than the circular (vortex) order iron shavings take when placed around a magnet.

[enoch]

well, without the ins and outs, in the context of this topic - gravitomagnetism could push, pull, levitate any object regardless of its composition, electrical charge or shape - including us folks! 8)

Electromagnetism is deemed a kind of "false gravity" because Einstein theorised gravity to be a warping of space-time created by mass which creates a vortex. The gravitomagnetism is a frame-dragging vortex created by a spinning mass. It's so weak but for some reason seems to be a trillion times stronger generated from a superconductor...hence the excitement.

[journyman161]

I had a read of the article in New Scientist. Interestingly, it could fit in rather nicely with Edward Leedskalnin's theory about magnets in everything - at first read anyway.

Perhaps this is further evidence that Relativity isn't quite up to things; one of the main props for Relativity has been the Michelson-Morley experiments that supposedly showed there was no 'Ether' throughout all space - the reports of the failure to find an ether appear to have been rather exaggerated. And the presence of an ether invalidate some of the main pillars of Relativity.

I'm not sure how electromagnetics will fit into an ether-filled cosmos but it's something to think about for explanations...

I'm in over my head when talking about electromagnetism. But, I have two questions. Didn't they disprove the yogi method of levitation by muscle ability? I've seen the yogi videos, they bounce in a lotus position, but don't get very high off the ground. It didn't look like levitation to me, but I could be wrong.

Second question...wasn't Einstein working on a theory to end all theories at the end of his life? Wouldn't that speak volumes about his confidence in his previous theories? Feel free to talk amongst yourselves. :D I don't know enough about any of it to propound.

[enoch]

There's no ether....come ON!!!! :lol: There's no destructive interference in split light beams!!

[journyman161]

Not 'a theory to end all theories' (the Mother of all theories? :grin: ) but a 'theory of everything.' And he didn't get there. But the idea was that Relativity would be a part of it.

Einstein had some fairly major problems with Quantum theory. The famous mis-quote about God does not play dice (usually stated as God does not play dice with the universe) was because he really didn't like the idea that chance or probability could be at the base of everything.

An ether would solve a few problems physicists have with the current model & also provide explanations for inertia & gravity. Gravity is something of a problem for both Quantum theory & Relativity. The theory of Everything was meant to provide an explanation for gravity that acts as we know it in the macro-universe & also explains why it acts differently in the micro or quantum universe. The two things are pretty incompatible currently.

But if there is an ether... And if perhaps Leedskalnin was anything like correct... (& he has those big rocks to prove he knew something we don't...)

[CFTraveler]

Well, I've always thought that relativity makes more sense with the concept of ether. Call it something else (I like excited vaccuum best) but it's the same difference. To-mae-toes, To-mah-tohs.

[enoch]

aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :lol:

[journyman161]

So for CFT it's obviously ether to-may-to or to-mah-to - ether/or nether/nor... *grins*

Perhaps we should spell it Aether like they did when they tried to denigrate the concept because it nuked Relativity? As far as Relativity goes, Ether is a knockout! *grins again*

Were the early physicists sniffing the ether when they thought of Quantum Mechanics while racking their Branes? (OK, I'll stop now...) :lol: :)

[CFTraveler]

aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :lol:
BTW, National "Talk like a pirate" day was last week.

[enoch]

good on ya, chicken :shock: