According to a new study that was published in the journal Optic Express, Chinese researchers have created the first tractor beam potent enough to control macroscopic objects. That implies that you can observe the equipment in action with your natural vision.
While tractor beams are frequently utilized in science fiction, you might be shocked to hear that they have also been used in the real world for some time, albeit on a very small scale.
Atoms and nanoparticles may be pulled by microscopic tractor beams, sometimes referred to as optical tweezers, for application in science and medicine. However, we have never been able to see this in action.
For use in research and health, minuscule tractor beams—also known as optical tweezers—can be used to drag atoms and nanoparticles. We have never been able to witness this in action, though.
In reality, the initial experiment included manipulating a specific type of graphene composite in a strictly controlled lab environment under a pressure lower than that of Earth’s atmosphere. They may have appeared very small or microscopic, but they actually moved anything with a laser!
The studies employing a torsional pendulum demonstrated the laser pulling phenomenon. The current work shows that by controlling the interactions between the light, object, and medium, flexible light manipulation of macroscopical objects is possible. It also highlights how complex the interactions between laser and matter are.
Lei Wang’s group will probably keep looking at fresh concepts. There will be more, so this is not quite the end. “Our work extends the reach of optical tugging from microscale to macroscale, which has significant potential in macroscale optical manipulations,” the report states.
