Scientists have designed a way to levitate and propel objects using only light, by creating nanoscale patterns on the objects' surfaces.
Background:
Decades ago, the development of optical tweezers enabled scientists to move and manipulate tiny objects, like nanoparticles, using the radiative pressure from a sharply focused beam of laser light. This work formed the basis for the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics.
However, optical tweezers are only able to manipulate very small objects and only at very short distances.
Recent development:
With the new research, published in the journal Nature Photonics, objects of many different shapes and sizes -- from micrometres to metres -- could be manipulated with a light beam.
The key is to create specific nanoscale patterns on an object's surface. This patterning interacts with light in such a way that the object can right itself when perturbed, creating a restoring torque to keep it in the light beam.
Thus, rather than requiring highly focused laser beams, the objects' patterning is designed to "encode" their own stability. The light source can also be millions of miles away.
Potential applications:
Though still theoretical, the work is a step toward developing a spacecraft that could reach the nearest planet outside of our solar system in 20 years, powered and accelerated only by light.
The technology could also be used to enable rapid manufacturing of even smaller objects, like circuit boards.
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