# Meissner-levitated microrotor reaches 2.3 MHz in cryogenic vacuum experiment

- Published: 2026-11-07 21:50 UTC
- Section: Science › Physics
- Tags: Meissner levitation, microrotor, cryogenic pressure sensing, axion-like dark matter, thermal torque noise
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-a7a00da42e1c97fdabc09748_meissner_levitated_microrotor/

**Physicists demonstrated a magnetically levitated microsphere spinning at 2.3 MHz with ultra-low damping at 4.2 kelvin.**

![Meissner-levitated microrotor reaches 2.3 MHz in cryogenic vacuum experiment](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/5d8c0fa866fd159a.jpg)
*Maria Delaney, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0*

Researchers demonstrated a Meissner-levitated microrotor reaching rotation speeds above 2.3 megahertz at a cryogenic temperature of 4.2 kelvin, according to a report published in Science Advances [1]. The experimental platform uses a magnetic microsphere suspended via the Meissner effect. The system achieved a mechanical damping rate of 4.75 × 10 −7 hertz, enabling high-precision measurements in an ultra-low-noise regime [1].

By leveraging the linear dependence of friction on gas density, the authors demonstrated high-accuracy absolute cryogenic pressure sensing across a wide operating range [1]. Additionally, operating the microrotor in a synchronized mode at intermediate gas pressure allowed the team to measure thermal torque noise [1]. This sensitivity enabled a preliminary narrowband search for axion-like dark matter [1].

The authors noted that combining high rotational velocity, cryogenic operating temperatures, and low thermal torque noise provides a platform for measuring extremely weak forces and fields [1].

## Sources

1. [Science Advances](https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aee6434)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-a7a00da42e1c97fdabc09748_meissner_levitated_microrotor/