Diamagnetically Levitated Accelerometers

Diamagnetic materials are pushed away by magnetic fields. This means they can levitate forever above a strong magnet, without needing any power. One such example is the graphite you might find in a pencil. The atoms in graphite must be neatly arranged in a crystal structure for its diamagnetic properties to emerge. At Q.InC, we are developing new sensors made by combining microparticles of crystal graphite. These can levitate forever without requiring any power, and will move if nudged, even by a minute signal.

Levitation makes sensors more precise by shielding them from vibrations and thermal fluctuations in the environment. It also allows the sensors to move and spin freely, opening new frontiers in precision sensing. For example, we can use electrical forces to spin the levitated graphite sensor hundreds or thousands of times per minute. This would be make a precise gyroscope, which could help planes or submarines navigate more accurately without the need to rely on GPS.

For more information contact xianfeng_chen@imre.a-star.edu.sg.

Levitated diamagnetic sensors (black squares) levitating above permanent magnets (silver cubes). They are placed inside a vacuum chamber, to remove air resistance. Their position is being precisely monitored by a laser, which will detect very small accelerations.

We use sensitive optical techniques such as interferometry to precisely measure the position of the levitated sensor.

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