Last week, comedian Stephen Colbert became (so far as I know) the first comedian to quantum levitate ... well, pretty much anything!?On the November 9?episode of his hit satirical political Comedy Central show, The Colbert Report, Colbert used this curious quantum physics property as a key element in one of his show's segments.
With the recent bankruptcy of Dippin' Dots, there's a slot open for the "ice cream of the future," and Colbert wants his Ben & Jerry's flavor Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream to fill that slot. Toward that end, he brought in a quantum levitation track (along with Ithaca College physics professor and researcher Matthew C. Sullivan). Together, they quantum levitated a minicup of the ice cream. Colbert explains what happens in this process to his fans:
As I'm sure you know, quantum levitation refers to the phenomenon whereby the magnetic flux lines flowing through a type-II superconductor are pinned in place despite the electromagnetic forces acting upon them. I learned that from the inside of a Snapple cap.
Not satisfied with this Snapple-based explanation, I did some research and even contacted Dr. Sullivan to discuss the details of the process. So, if you really want to understand how the Meissner effect, together with the curious property called quantum locking, can make ice cream levitate, then check out our article: What is Quantum Levitation (and How Does It Work)?
Hint: They hid a superconductor disk, like the one shown above, in the bottom of the ice cream cup! Unfortunately, the ability to levitate random ice cream has not yet been attained.
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