5 ms·

Link to a picture of a sample floating beneath a magnet: https://nitter.net/pronounced_kyle/status/1742725029450916111#m https://nitter.net/pronounced_kyle/stat

• jiggawatts 3y ago
  There were many similar LK-99 pictures that were later identified as caused by other magnetic / optical effects. One popular theory explaining the LK-99 "levitation" pictures is that the material is diamagnetic (repels magnets), but has iron impurities (attracts magnets). So a small fragment might have a tiny fleck of iron in a corner, which is stuck to the magnet, but the bulk is repelled. This makes the sample "half float", with one corner always touching. After a while you start noticing the consistent look of the samples almost-but-not-quite floating askew. Another effect is that if a picture is taken in a dark room with a camera that has the iris wide open, optical effects can blur the point at which the sample touches the magnet. A macro shot of a tiny sample especially is susceptible to this effect, and it can make the sample look like it is truly floating, with a visible "gap". Better focus (or focus-stacking) would reveal the small point still in contact with the magnet.