Record-breaking magnetic shielding for high-precision
experiments
(May 12, 2015) Magnetic
fields easily penetrate matter. Creating a space practically devoid of magnetic
fields thus presents a great challenge. An international team of physicists has
now developed a shielding that dampens low frequency magnetic fields more than
a million-fold. Using this mechanism, they have created a space that boasts the
weakest magnetic field of our solar system. The physicists now intend to carry
out precision experiments there.
Magnetic fields exist everywhere in the universe. Here on
the Earth, we are permanently exposed to both natural and artificial magnetic
fields. In Central Europe the Earth’s ever-present magnetic field measures 48
microtesla. On top of this come local magnetic fields generated by
transformers, motors, cranes, metal doors and the like.