Passive, Portable Vibration Isolation by Means of Permanent Magnets and High Temperature Superconductors

We have built a prototype vibration isolation platform using permanent magnets that demonstrates that our concept of vibration isolation via decoupling is basically sound. Stabilized with elastomers, this vibration isolation device is capable of reducing mechanical vibrations reaching instrumentation attached to the platform by 50 db for frequencies above 5hz. Replacing elastomers with high temperature superconductors is expected to suppress the amplified response at the resonance frequencies around 1 to 2 hz of the present system, with tolerable degradation of the isolation for high frequency vibrations. With further improvement, it is possible to extend the range of frequencies that we can effectively isolate.