Manipulating objects with a beam of light
SEP 10, 2010
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.024660
Science : A group of physicists has succeeded in using a pipe of laser light to transport a tiny particle one meter and set it on a surface with a precision of less than the width of a human hair. Science‘s Adrian Cho discusses the physics involved and the research of two different university groups, one at the University of Glasgow in the UK and the other at Australian National University. Such a technique could have multiple applications, such as to simulate the physics of interstellar space or sniff out airborne traces of contraband.
© 2010 American Institute of Physics
