'Star Trek' Tractor Beam Developed at Microscopic Level
A team of scientists from the University of St Andrews in Scotland and the Institute of Scientific Instruments in the Czech Republic developed a real-life tractor beam pulled straight out of science fiction.
The news was announced in a press release on Friday by the University of St Andrews, which said scientists discovered a way to create a special optical field that efficiently reverses radiation pressure of light.
Scientists believe that this new technique could lead to more efficient medical testing, such as in the analysis of blood samples, according to Dr. Tomas Cizmar, a research fellow in the School of Medicine at the university.
"Because of the similarities between optical and acoustic particle manipulation we anticipate that this concept will provide inspiration for exciting future studies in areas outside the field of photonics," said Dr. Cizmar in the university statement.
Although light manipulation techniques have been around since the 1960s, the latest study marks the first time a light beam has been used to pull objects toward the light source, even if it is being accomplished at a microscopic level, according to BBC.
The research team found a technique that gives them the ability to provide "negative" force acting upon microscopic particles. Usually when matter and light interact the solid object is pushed by the light and transported away in the stream of photons. According to scientists, this radiation force was first recognized by Johanes Kepler when seeing the tails of comets point away from the Sun.
Scientists discovered that in certain conditions, objects held by the tractor beam force field re-arranged themselves to form a structure that made the beam even stronger after they came together.
Tractor beams have long been a technology staple of science fiction stories. In "Star Trek," tractor beams were often used to pull spaceships and other objects closer to the focal point of the light source attached to another ship.
