Stock Photo - 1972 - The Good Samarium: The world's most powerful magnets, up to 50 times stronger than common iron magnets, now are being produced at Varian Associated here from an alloy of samarium, a rare-eath element and cobalt. The two ring magnets pictured here with their developer Louis Falce, materials development manager for Varian's TWT Division, exert the same magnetic force; the one on the left is made from the new supermagnetic alloy. In addition to their powerful magnetic force, the new permanent magnets resist demagnetization and endure extremely high temperatures Varian's samarium cobalt magnets are used in microwave tubes for satellite communications and ultrahigh vacuum pumps. Other uses are for electric wristwatches, tiny but powerful electric motors and for current scientific research into high-speed transport systems in which passenger vehicles are suspended in air by magnetic levitation, (Credit Image: © Keystone Pictures USA/ZUMAPRESS.com)