Record-breaking, fast-spinning magnet could aid new physics discoveries

Scientists in Singapore have created a tiny magnet that levitates within a superconductor trap and spins at an unprecedented rate. The magnet, made from neodymium, iron, and boron, is about 30 micrometres wide and was set spinning at 138 million revolutions per minute. This is the fastest magnetically levitated rotor ever made, and its behaviour is very sensitive to its environment, making it a promising sensor. The team has already tested it as a gauge of vacuum at very low temperatures, which could be useful for builders of quantum computers. The researchers used a spherical magnet and a cylindrical container made from lead, which behaved as a superconductor when cooled to -269°C. The lack of air in the vacuum chamber allowed the magnet to levitate without bumping into particles. The team's achievement could aid the development of quantum technologies and help in experiments searching for dark matter particles.