What component carries and supports the rotor weight while maintaining radial clearance between the rotor and its casing?

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Radial bearings are designed to support loads pushing perpendicular to the shaft and to keep the rotor centered in the housing. That means they carry the rotor’s weight and maintain the radial clearance—the small gap that allows the rotor to run on a lubricating film without rubbing against the casing. Thrust bearings handle axial (along the axis) loads, not the radial clearance. Journal bearings are a type of radial bearing using a lubricating film, but the general category of radial bearings best describes the component whose job is to bear the weight and keep the rotor properly centered. Ball bearings are a specific rolling-element option and can serve radial loads, but the question points to the broader radial-bearing function.