Aussie Scientists Invent Tractor Beam

Is the hug pulling?

 

I'm not pulling you are you pulling me?
I'm not that way inclined, btw.

 

Jokes help.

 

Thanks dope...

 

Why is it you demand rep? Seems pushy

 

I was being passive aggressive.

 

Another term for pushy, though not making it seem like you're siding one way or the other.

 

It's all pushy pulley.

 

Sounds very wishy washy, willy nilly

 

I'm not sure If I care if you are right or wrong..

 

Let's not be one sided now


Jeeze, we must really not be funny. This thread is less popular than Sarah Palin after the last election. It has about as many followers.

 

I'm soooo two faced.

Two out of three aint bad.

 

Interesting. They have been able to manipulate groups of atoms using lasers for a long time, I remember seeing a picture of a group of gold atoms that were arranged to spell out GOLD, and it was less than a 100 atoms, if memory serves.
Anyway, considering the manner in which the laser functions my guess is that they are pushing the particles, heat usually has a repulsive effect on nearby items.
Neat thing about this, as stated in the article, is the ability to do it from a distance.
But I think true tractor beams with both repulsive and attractive capabilities using only light is a way off.

(just thought I would attempt to bring the thread back on topic)

 

Really? That's too bad.

Zing

 

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2010/09/tiny-tractor-beams-gain-a-thir.html No wiser.

 

Thats amazing, i hope they can expand on the invention.

 

from the article you linked....

The ANU device works in three dimensions. A hollow laser beam traps objects in its core because the surrounding tube of bright light heats the air, creating an impenetrable high temperature barrier. Some of the light from the beam trickles into the dark core, however, where it can heat the exposed side of the nanoparticle and push it along the beam away from the laser.

If two such lasers are mounted on opposite sides of the object, both working together to trap the object in the hollow core of a laser beam, it's possible to move the trapped object in either direction along the beam by varying the intensity - and heating potential - of one or other lasers.

So it is as I thought, by heating one side or the other they PUSH the particle.

 

What!? The tractor beam? That sux, Why coudnt it have been the teleportation contraptions? that would have been cool. Besides we already have natural tractor beams to pull tweezers around. They are called MAGNETS.

 

I'm glad we have this cleared up.