Control of vertical acceleration (effective gravity) between normal and microgravity

Abstract

Abstract When an upward magnetization force F m is imposed on a liquid, the force acting on the liquid is the difference between the gravitational and magnetization forces. Thus, the magnitude of vertical acceleration acting on the liquid can be varied from 1 g to 0 g by changing the upward F m . To verify this vertical acceleration‐control method, behavior of bubbles formed by injecting gas from a nozzle was examined. By decreasing the magnitude of vertical acceleration, the number of bubbles formed per unit time decreased and their size increased. These results confirm that vertical acceleration can be changed from normal gravity to near‐zero gravity. The method to generate low‐gravity conditions will find many applications over a wide range of research.