On Feb. 10, 2009, disaster struck hundreds of miles above the Siberian Peninsula. That evening, a defunct Russian satellite orbiting Earth crashed into a communications satellite called Iridium 33 moving at a speed of thousands ...
Space Exploration
Jun 1, 2023
1
171
This weekend, a Chinese rocket booster, weighing nearly 23 tons, came rushing back to Earth after spending more than a week in space—the result of what some critics, including NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, have attributed ...
Space Exploration
May 13, 2021
0
12
Lightning never strikes twice, so the saying goes, but new technology may allow us to control where it hits the ground, reducing the risk of catastrophic bushfires.
General Physics
Nov 11, 2020
9
6470
Atoms, molecules or even living cells can be manipulated with light beams. At TU Wien a method was developed to revolutionize such "optical tweezers".
Optics & Photonics
Nov 19, 2019
0
75
Modern construction is a precision endeavor. Builders must use components manufactured to meet specific standards—such as beams of a desired composition or rivets of a specific size. The building industry relies on manufacturers ...
Optics & Photonics
Nov 4, 2019
0
171
A new prototype system that monitors the number and type of tractor-trailers moving through a region could help transportation planners identify and prioritize infrastructure projects and increase operational efficiency.
Engineering
Feb 11, 2019
0
4
Physicists from ITMO University have developed a model of an optical tractor beam to capture particles based on new artificial materials. Such a beam is capable of moving particles or cells towards the radiation source. The ...
General Physics
Nov 27, 2018
1
57
University of Adelaide researchers have delved into the realm of Star Trek and created a powerful tractor beam – or light-driven energy trap – for atoms.
Quantum Physics
Oct 30, 2018
0
311
Acoustic tractor beams use the power of sound to hold particles in mid-air, and unlike magnetic levitation, they can grab most solids or liquids. For the first time University of Bristol engineers have shown it is possible ...
General Physics
Jan 22, 2018
16
4735
Last year Asier Marzo, then a doctoral student at the Public University of Navarre, helped develop the first single-sided acoustic tractor beam—that is, the first realization of trapping and pulling an object using sound ...
General Physics
Jan 3, 2017
6
1982
