Distilling an Asteroid - derotation

Oh, this is tiresome.
G7

Magnetic fields are not radiant energy so assuming inverse square doesn't work. The path is always towards the opposite pole.
The description of the bag is in the blog. I didn't want to repeat technical detail in these postings. However the bag material is based on proven research done at Idaho National Lab many years ago. There is no unobtainium in this proposal. There are just different engineering alternatives.
Mitch

Magnetic field intensity declines as the inverse square of the distance between the magnet and the field coils of the cage. That could be a few inches (at the closest approach of the traveling edge of the asteroid) to whatever number of meters one determines is safest. The further they are apart and the weaker the magnets, the less inductance in the coils.
I have no idea what material you intend to use for your "bag". "Evaporating" your asteroid will require energy input(those molecules and atoms aren't going to move just for the fun of it) and that much energy is also going to effect your bag, especially as those molecules impact it and transfer energy to it.
Gary

A few problems here.
The distance between the "cage" and the magnets for any arbitrary shaped asteroid like a dumbbell would make it difficult to generate any electric current. Magnetics fields don't extend very far since they are really on their way to the other end of the magnet. The magnetic fields would never make it to the cage and hence no magnetic force on the wire to move electrons.

The major problem the distillation by bagging avoids is attaching to the surface of an asteroid of unknown consistency and surface: piles of rubble, centimeters of fine particles, etc. Attaching magnets would make the distillation by bagging no better than any other attach and work on the surface scheme.

The distillation process is going to cause the asteroid to come apart at the seams. Not useful for trying to keep something attached.

Mitch

Attach large magnets by firing them into the asteroid, then slow the asteroid by magnetic induction from a surrounding "cage". The "cage" then uses that asteroidal kinetic energy to produce ion thrust to stabilize the "cage", plus some energy from solar cells to make up the difference in conversion losses. The asteroid provides most of the energy to slow itself down...