In a recent study published in the Scientific Journals report, it was concluded that scientists would soon be able to create magnetic fields so strong they could rival the strength of black holes!
Most magnetic fields on earth are not very strong. A typical MRI machine produces fields of around 1 tesla, or 10,000 gauss. A 2018 lab experiment involving lasers created a field of up to 1,200 tesla, or just over 1 kilotesla. But no one has successfully gone higher than that.
Using supercomputer simulations and modelling, Osaka University engineer Masakatsu Murakami, and his colleagues devised a method to, in theory produce a magnetic field that could go up to 1 megatesla! Now this field wouldn’t last long, only about 10 nanoseconds but that’s a lot in modern physics.
Ultra strong magnetic fields have multiple applications, including synthesis of dark matter and astronomy research. They can also confine plasma inside nuclear fusion reactors into a smaller area, paving the way for viable fusion energy in the future.