Optical Pea Shooter

Researchers from the University of Bath in England have propelled polystyrene beads through a hollow fibre with a laser beam.

Previous experiments had succeeded in pushing particles through capillary tubes, but were limited in part by the rapid leakage of laser light through the sides of the capillaries.

The Bath researchers instead used hollow, photonic crystal fibres that confine light efficiently at the centre of array of holes that run the length of the fibre. Polystyrene spheres 5 microns in diameter were then pushed along at 1.1 centimetres per second by the 80 milliwatt argon laser beam.

The researchers expect the technique will eventually help transport delicate biological samples or aid in the deposition of materials for semiconductor lithography.

Fetah Benabid presented the work at the joint Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics/Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference meeting in Long Beach, CA.