Scientists Demonstrate a Macroscopic Tractor Beam

Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) demonstrates his portable tractor beam to Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION’s “The Naked Now.” Image: Paramount.

JANUARY 23, 2023 - Star Trek has often been credited with inspiring or predicting technologies that we have come to use on a daily basis, like the cell phone or touch screen computer. Some technologies, though, such as the transporter, are still beyond our reach. One such idea has taken another step toward, if not yet having reached, the practical stage: the tractor beam.

According to Universe Today, scientists have taken the already-existing microscopic tractor beam and demonstrated its feasibility at the macro level. Microscopic tractor beams are known as optical tweezers, which use lasers in biology, nanotechnology, and in medicine to move objects such as atoms and nanoparticles.

A paper in the journal Optics Express describes a new successful effort at “macroscopic laser pulling,” which uses a light-pulling force of a larger amplitude than in previous studies. The experiment only worked under particular lab conditions, but it has practical implications. The lead author of the paper, Lei Wang, said, "Our technique provides a non-contact and long-distance pulling approach, which may be useful for various scientific experiments. The rarefied gas environment we used to demonstrate the technique is similar to what is found on Mars. Therefore, it might have the potential for one day manipulating vehicles or aircraft on Mars."

In the experiment, a laser heats an object, one side is hotter than the other, and, in the lower-pressure rarified gas environment, the object moves visibly to the naked eye.

For more on the latest baby step toward towing your disabled starship or keeping that Romulan warbird from escaping, head over to Universe Today. Included are a video of the experiment and a link to the full text of the original journal article.