Researchers at TMOS, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems, have made a significant initial advancement in creating tractor beams enabled by metasurfaces. These beams of light, capable of drawing particles towards them, are inspired by the fictional tractor beams seen in science fiction.
In research published in ACS Photonics, the University of Melbourne team describes their solenoid beam that is generated using a silicon metasurface. Previous solenoid beams have been created by bulky special light modulators (SLMs), however, the size and weight of these systems prevent the beams from being used in handheld devices. The metasurface is a layer of nanopatterned silicon only about 1/2000 of a millimeter thick. The team hopes that one day it could be used to take biopsies in a non-invasive manner, unlike current methods such as forceps that cause trauma to the surrounding tissues.
Beams of light tend to exert a pushing force, moving particles away from the light source. Solenoid beams have been proven to draw particles toward the light source. Consider the way a drill works, pulling wood shavings up the drill bit. Solenoid beams work similarly.
Advantages of the New Solenoid Beam
This particular solenoid beam has several benefits over previously generated solenoid beams in that the required conditions of the input beam are more flexible than with previous beams, it doesn’t require an SLM, and the size, weight, and power requirements are significantly less than previous systems.
Tractor Beams
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Tractor Beams
Not Science Fiction: Researchers Have Developed Metasurface Tractor Beams
I am living in a world far beyond the scope of my imagination. Every time the planet rotates, I wake up in a brand new world full of wonders.
