A mechanism for electromagnetic trapping of extended objects

Abstract

In this work a mechanism is proposed for levitation and stable confinement of a heavy rotating body using electromagnetic interactions alone, with no position-dependent control. Support of the weight and vertical confinement are achieved through an axisymmetric magnetic field while lateral confinement is accomplished by a rotating octupolar field via the Brouwer saddle mechanism. The orientational degrees of freedom are stabilized through gyroscopic action. The design features multiple variable parameters, thus allowing considerable flexibility for scaling the system size and maximizing the basin of attraction of the stable state.