Australian Physicists Build Reversible Tractor Beam

Posted by Soulskill on Monday October 20, 2014 @07:33PM from the take-that-wesley dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Physicists at Australian National University have developed a tiny tractor beam that improves in several ways upon previous attempts. First, it operates on scales which, while still tiny, are higher than in earlier experiments. The beam can move particles up to 200 microns in diameter, and it can do so over a distance of 20 cm. "Unlike previous techniques, which used photon momentum to impart motion, the ANU tractor beam relies on the energy of the laser heating up the particles and the air around them (abstract). The ANU team demonstrated the effect on gold-coated hollow glass particles. The particles are trapped in the dark center of the beam. Energy from the laser hits the particle and travels across its surface, where it is absorbed creating hotspots on the surface. Air particles colliding with the hotspots heat up and shoot away from the surface, which causes the particle to recoil, in the opposite direction. To manipulate the particle, the team move the position of the hotspot by carefully controlling the polarization of the laser beam."

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Still a long way to go ... by pollarda · 2014-10-20 19:43 · Score: 5, Funny

There is still a long way to go before we can use it to move a Ferenghi vessel or to fight off the Borg. We ought to make this a national priority. If you think the Ebola thing is scary, the Borg makes viruses look like sheer child's play.
1. Re:Still a long way to go ... by sg_oneill · 2014-10-20 19:52 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Eh, the original Enterprise NX01 did pretty well for itself just using a good old fashion grappling hook. Plus slamming your foe with a grappling hook makes for bad-ass space fights.
  
  --
  Excuse the Unicode crap in my posts. That's an apostrophe, and slashdot is busted.
Almost a microwave by SeaFox · 2014-10-20 20:11 · Score: 4, Funny

...the ANU tractor beam relies on the energy of the laser heating up the particles and the air around them.
Oh, boy. It cooks you as it moves you.
Sounds like a great formula for a space rotisserie.
1. Re:Almost a microwave by Noble713 · 2014-10-20 20:39 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Except it won't work in space. Per TFS, this device superheats air particles to push the object in the opposite direction. If your object is in the vacuum of space and therefore has no neighboring air to superheat, it's kinda useless....