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From: mark@photon.mit.edu (Mark Spector)
Newsgroups: sci.physics,sci.bio
Subject: Re: Magnetic Levitation of Organic Materials
Message-ID: <1991Apr17.163842.13844@athena.mit.edu>
Date: 17 Apr 91 16:38:42 GMT
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In article <1714@sheol.UUCP> throopw@sheol.UUCP (Wayne Throop) writes:
>
>MRI involves fields of up to 5 tesla.  The strongest constant magnetic
>field ever generated (according to the Guinness Book of World Records)
>was about 35 tesla, at the Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory at
>MIT.  There is some indication in the GBR entry that this 30+ tesla
>field was applied to living tissue without causing it to be dead tissue,
>but I can't really make out what was going on by the reference there. 
>(Anybody out there know?)
>
>Wayne Throop  ...!mcnc!dg-rtp!sheol!throopw

The world record is indeed held by the FBNML here at MIT.  It uses a
big bore superconducting magnet (~15 Tesla) with a Bitter magnet (~20
Tesla) inside.  I believe to set the world record they put some iron
pole pieces inside of the Bitter magnet to pick up a couple extra tesla.

As far as living tissue goes, I heard that a few years ago some bioligist
had the idea to put some homing pigeons inside a Bitter magnet and see
if they remembered the way home.  As I recall he put them in a field
of around 15 Tesla and not only did they live, but they found their
way home!

On a related note, FBNML is currently contructing another hybrid magnet
which should break the 40 Tesla mark sometime this summer.
Of course, the government in it's infinite wisdom has decided to close
FBNML in October, so this magnet probably will not get much use.
 
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Mark S. Spector            Internet  : mark@photon.mit.edu
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