‘Trekkie’ tractor beams could become a reality

They’re far from Star Trek’s vision of a bright green, attractive beam able to restrict an enemy spaceship’s movement; they also cannot be used as weapons in space-based warfare. However, tractor beams are now close to becoming a reality, as three scientists working at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland have been granted $100,000 to begin developments into the technology.

The technology – formally known as optical trapping – is intended to be used to gather sample material from planetary surfaces. The three options which are to be explored include the use of solenoid or Bessel beams. A typical laser has an intensity peak at its centre, whereas the two alternatives feature peaks which vary, allowing them to produce a force which could potentially be used to attract particles. Solenoid beams have already proven to have such qualities, whilst Bessel beams are yet to be tested experimentally.

The alternative option is an adaptation of “optical tweezers”: using a laser beam, focused through a microscope objective, to trap an object using a force in the order of piconewtons. The narrowest part of the beam exhibits a strong electric field, which can be used to attract dielectric particles.

These three ideas will be explored by the scientists at NASA, and could contribute significantly to our understanding of other planets.