Levitation - Modern Scientific Advances

Defying gravity using: Magnetism, Acoustics, Optics, Electrostatics, & Quantum Science

In Girl in the Glass, James and Declan learn the Clypeate found in Antarctica, amongst other treasures, five hundred towel-sized sheets of thin, shiny metal. They learn the navigation machine, created from the designs Mary Elizabeth crammed inside Declan’s mind, can use these plates to levitate the entire ship.

While history is full of references to levitation, Sanskrit texts describe Flying Vimana temples, the Middle East has tales of magic carpets, and the Hebrew God descended to Ezekiel in a flying wheel, Declan isn’t convinced.

“Now, that’s truly impossible. Not improbable or unlikely, just impossible.”

Perhaps in 1939, the ability to suspend objects without physical contact only existed in myths and science fiction, but now levitation is a well-established, legitimate area of scientific research with diverse applications. There are several scientific methods for achieving levitation, all acting through precisely controlled forces to counteract gravity.

The various scientific techniques for inducing levitation include:

Magnetic Levitation (Maglev): This technique uses magnetic fields to suspend objects. Superconductors, when cooled below their critical temperature, can expel magnetic fields (Meissner effect) and create stable levitation above permanent magnets due to flux pinning. This principle is being developed for high-speed trains (Maglev trains), contactless melting, and specialized bearings.
Acoustic Levitation: This method utilizes high-frequency sound waves to create pressure nodes that can trap and suspend small objects. It offers advantages for contactless manipulation of sensitive materials like microchips and for containerless processing of high-purity materials. Acoustic levitation is also explored for biological applications like creating cell spheroids for tissue engineering and microphysiological systems.
Optical Levitation: This technique employs the radiation pressure of focused laser beams to levitate and manipulate microscopic particles. It allows for precise control and measurement of translation and rotation at the nanoscale, paving the way for research in quantum mechanics, materials science, and sensing technologies, including gravimeters, pressure sensors, and inertial sensors.
Electrostatic Levitation: This involves using electric fields to suspend objects, often used in experiments to study material properties in a zero-gravity environment.
Quantum Levitation: This fascinating phenomenon is observed with superconductors in the presence of magnetic fields, where flux pinning creates a stable levitation above or below a magnetic track.