Boffins have fabricated microscopic sci-fi tractor beams for real • The Register

It can only hold millions of cold rubidium atoms for now

Mad boffin Phillip Light playing with the atomic chamber used to create the waveguide trap

The idea of ​​tractor beams, concentrated rays of energy used in distance learning, was first introduced in science fiction.

A group of physicists from the University of Adelaide, Australia, and the University of Limoges, France, however, are trying to make them a reality. But do not get too excited, like Star Wars when the Death Star pulls in the Millenium Falcon. They can not even hold small objects like gravity tethers in Dead Space, a popular horror video game, or.

Instead of the researchers, the study of beams of light to manipulate atoms. "Although tractor beams are green or blue in the movies, in this case the trap is made of invisible infra-red light. "Ashley Hilton, PhD student at the University of Adelaide, said," The beam grabs hold of atoms that are floating in a chamber that is almost completely emptied of gas.

"Every atom that enters the tractor is pulled into the fiber – there is no escape. And once sucked into the interior of the optical fiber the atoms can be held for long periods of time. Our experiments show that we can very precisely control light to produce exactly the right conditions to control atoms. "

The results have been published in the Physical Review Applied Journal. The researchers call it "waveguide trap", and it's capable of holding millions of cold rubidium atoms.

Waveguide traps are pretty complicated to set up. A series of lasers, lenses, mirrors, light bulbs and filters. The rubidium atoms are held in place as they interact with the infrared photons and are pushed into the center of the light beam.

The team hopes to refine their experiments by using a hollow cone of light to move atoms, rather than a solid laser beam. This will have the most steadily, and the center of the light cone will be dark and will not interfere with the atoms themselves.

"Our researchers are manipulating and measuring individual atoms and molecules to sense the world around us. This new era of quantum sensing is opening up to various new possibilities of detection by means of detecting abnormalities and magnetic fields. Author of the paper and chair of experimental physics at the University of Adelaide, concluded.