Caltech Scientists Could Use Light To Move Objects

Travel in a spacecraft through the universe accelerated and powered by light is only something in your dream? Well, not anymore because it has became a very feasible goal of Caltech scientists.

A group of researchers from Caltech has developed a method to propel and levitate objects with only light. They have achieved that by adding a pattern of nanoscale on to surfaces of the objects.  This is called "optical tweezers" and scientists have been using it to manipulate and move tiny objects.

Levitation from a precise pattern

Technically, these tweezers manipulate the object by emitting a focused beam of laser light. But then as of right now, this tool could only be used to move tiny objects in a very short distance.

These patterns of nanoscale will interact with the light in a way that will make the objects keep themselves "right". It means that the object will keep returning to keep themselves buoyant with the light. Also means that the object can keep stable by itself even without the beams of light. It could also work in case that the object is millions of kilometers away from the light source.

We have an analogy from Ognjen Ili a scholar and author of this study saying that this is just like we use a hairdryer to move a ping pong.

Light-based propulsion

According to Atwater the director of the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, we have figured out how to levitate objects of macroscopic size. And he believes that this is a possibility to develop this technology into propulsion for spacecraft in the future.  However, that still far down the road because we still are just testing the principles right now.

Either way, I think that it is a nice concept that spacecraft could be powered by laser light from Earth. That way spacecraft won't have to carry fuel on their journey to the stars.

Application in manufacturing

There is also the possibility to apply this technology to enable fast manufacturing of the very small objects, circuit boards for example.