Diamagnéticos

Diamagnéticos are materials that are weakly repelled by an external magnetic field. This repulsion arises from the orbital motion of electrons within the atoms of the material. When an external magnetic field is applied, it induces a magnetic moment in the material that opposes the applied field. This induced moment is diamagnetic and is independent of temperature.

All materials exhibit diamagnetism, but it is often masked by other, stronger magnetic effects such as paramagnetism or ferromagnetism. Diamagnetic materials have a magnetic susceptibility that is negative and small. This means that when placed in a magnetic field, they develop a magnetization in the opposite direction to the applied field.

Examples of diamagnetic materials include water, bismuth, copper, and many organic compounds. While the effect is weak, it has some practical applications. For instance, diamagnetic levitation is a phenomenon where a diamagnetic material can be levitated above a strong magnet due to the repulsive forces. This principle is used in some sensitive scientific instruments and has also been demonstrated with living organisms. Diamagnetic properties are also important in understanding the behavior of superconductors, which exhibit perfect diamagnetism.