- 4,425
- 3,125
… no?
“Light carries momentum that can push on an object, but it can also move an object through thermal forces. A new experiment combines both of these effects to manipulate a tiny gold plate that can slide along a tapered optical fiber. The momentum-transfer and thermal forces act in opposite directions, allowing the plate to be driven first one way and then the other. The device might one day be used to generate mechanical energy from light or as a micro-transport system for a miniature chemical processing device called a lab-on-a-chip.”
Light Pushes and Pulls
Two forces coming from a light beam—one based on momentum transfer, the other on thermal effects—drive a tiny gold plate to move in opposite directions.
physics.aps.org
“Light carries momentum that can push on an object, but it can also move an object through thermal forces. A new experiment combines both of these effects to manipulate a tiny gold plate that can slide along a tapered optical fiber. The momentum-transfer and thermal forces act in opposite directions, allowing the plate to be driven first one way and then the other. The device might one day be used to generate mechanical energy from light or as a micro-transport system for a miniature chemical processing device called a lab-on-a-chip.”