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Hallelujah Mountains
By Kevin Stager
Background
• When Pandora was first forming and a large amount of
volcanoes were still active, a great sum of the mineral
Unobtanium was pushed to the surface and trapped in
the rock. After all the planets were formed things started
to move in a natural orbit. One of the planets formed
near Pandora was a large gas like planet called
Polyphemis, which has its own naturally occurring
magnetosphere. When Pandora passes by this planet in
its natural orbit, Polyphemis’ magnetosphere changes
Pandora’s molten iron core’s own magnetic field. This
change creates something called the Flux Vortex on the
surface. Because Unobtanium is a super conductor at
such low temperatures the mountains are able to float
right side up because of a principle called the Meissner
Effect.
Meissner Effect
•
In a weak applied field, a
superconductor "expels" all magnetic
flux. It does this by setting up electric
currents near its surface. It is the
magnetic field of these surface
currents that cancels out the applied
magnetic field within the bulk of the
superconductor. However, near the
surface, within a distance called the
London penetration depth, the
magnetic field is not completely
canceled; this region also contains the
electric currents whose field cancels
the applied magnetic field within the
bulk. Each superconducting material
has its own characteristic penetration
depth. Because the field expulsion, or
cancellation, does not change with
time, the currents producing this effect
(called persistent currents) do not
decay with time.
Simplified Version
• What the Meissner effect
basically is, is when a
material is cooled enough
to where it is a
superconductor, the
magnetic field doesn’t
travel through the metal
aligning the magnetic
field inside it (giving it a
north and south magnetic
pole) it instead travels
around the material giving
it no magnetic poles so it
can float.
Citations
Multiple, . "Meissner Effect." Wikipedia. Web.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meissner_effect>.
Multiple, . "Hallelujah Mountains." James Cameron's Avatar Wiki.
Web. <http://james-camerons-avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Hallelujah_Mountains>.
"Why Do the Mountains Float in Avatar?." avatar.typepad.Web.
<http://avatar.typepad.com/entry/6a012876865455970c012876b66871970c?fbi
d=gQgln1ENpTz>.
Questions
1.) What is an important quality of the metallic object must
have in order for the meissner effect to work.
a. Large Mass b. Magnetic Field c. Is a Super Conductor d.
Is from Pandora
2.) Is Unobtanium a Super Conductor at low Temperatures?
a. Yes b. No c. Maybe d. Not Enough Info
3.) What is theorized to cause the Hallelujah Mountains to
float?
a. The Meisnner Effect b. Chuck Norris c. Magic
d. The What?