A first magnetic measurement of a flowing superconducting slurry: a proposal for a one-semester graduate project (the slurry test)

A proposal for a one-semester graduate project in low-temperature or precision-measurement physics: the first magnetic measurement of a flowing superconducting slurry. A fine superconducting powder (YBCO, then Bi-2223, with alumina as the inert control) is suspended in liquid nitrogen and driven by gas pressure through three pipe shapes (a plain loop, a helix, and a figure-8) inside a magnetic shield, while a three-axis fluxgate magnetometer reads the field. If the slurry behaves as one connected superconductor, a London-moment field of tens to hundreds of picotesla is predicted; if as separate grains, none. Either result is publishable, and no measurement of either was found. The document gives the hypothesis and predictions, the rig and build sheets, the test-day procedure, safety provisions, a sixteen-week timeline, a time budget, and a priced purchase list (about 9,600 US dollars to buy if the host has standard low-temperature equipment; about 31,700 US dollars from scratch), with a section on known limitations and open questions. Version of 17 October 2026. Contact: fireflingapp@gmail.com.