Would a Tractor Beam Work?

The tractor beam would work in a new way. In this case, the light would pull an object toward the source of the beam even though the beam has the same intensity all along its length. ... The overlapping waves produce a forward-moving beam known as a Bessel beam whose intensity remains constant along its length.

Is a tractor beam possible?

A laser can act as a "tractor beam", drawing small objects back toward the laser's source, scientists have said. If such a Bessel beam were to encounter an object not head-on but at a glancing angle, the backward force can be stimulated. ...

Where did the phrase tractor beam come from?

A tractor beam is a device with the ability to attract one object to another from a distance. The concept originates in fiction: the term was coined by E. E. Smith (an update of his earlier "attractor beam") in his novel Spacehounds of IPC (1931).

Marcus Vance

Marcus Vance

Cybersecurity & Digital Privacy Researcher

Marcus Vance is a cybersecurity auditor and technology writer dedicated to educating the public about online safety, data privacy regulations, enterprise security, and emerging cyber threats.