Meissner levitation of a millimeter size neodymium magnet within a superconducting radio frequency cavity

Abstract

We report on the magnetic levitation of a millimeter sized neodymium permanent magnet within the interior of a superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first experimental work on levitating a magnet within an SRF cavity. The cavity is a coaxial quarter wave microwave resonator made from 6061 aluminum, having a resonance frequency of 10GHz and a loaded Q of 1400. The cylindrical magnet (N50) has a height of 1 mm, a diameter of 0.75 mm, a mass of 4 mg, and a remanence of 1.44 T. This produces a peak magnetic field 140 times greater than the critical field of aluminum. Our measurements are consistent over several heating and cooling cycles. Our work provides a path towards a novel optomechanical system.

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