Researchers at Texas A&M have demonstrated precise three-dimensional control of micron-scale "metajets" using laser illumination, marking a significant advance in optical propulsion. The team, led by Shoufeng Lan and reported in Newton, showed that patterned metasurfaces can convert light into controlled mechanical force, potentially enabling motion from microscopic devices to spacecraft without traditional propellant.
Metajets are built from metasurfaces—ultrathin materials patterned at the nanoscale so they shape and redirect light. By choosing the shape, orientation and placement of nanoscale features, the researchers controlled how photons transfer momentum to the object. Lan likened the process to ping pong balls bouncing off a surface: reflected light imparts momentum and can push the device. The experiments demonstrated full three-dimensional maneuverability not previously shown with this approach.
This approach differs from methods that shape the beam itself because it embeds control into the material, offering more flexible force generation. Importantly, the generated force depends on optical power rather than device size, which suggests the concept could scale if sufficient light power is available. Current devices are only tens of microns across and required nanoscale fabrication at the Texas A&M AggieFab Nanofabrication Facility with support from the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station.
Researchers tested the metajets in a fluid to offset gravity and observe motion more clearly, and they are pursuing external funding to study propulsion in microgravity. The work ties into related groups in Europe and U.S. efforts at the California Institute of Technology and the Rochester Institute of Technology. The authors say the findings advance understanding of how light generates force and may one day enable travel to Alpha Centauri within roughly 20 years.
- Key points: metasurface design, light-driven force, potential to scale.
- Fabrication at AggieFab with nanoscale precision.
- Next steps include microgravity testing and broader studies.
Difficult words
- metasurface — ultrathin material patterned to shape and redirect lightmetasurfaces
- metajet — micron-scale object propelled by controlled light forcesmetajets
- nanoscale — very small size measured in billionths of a meter
- momentum — quantity of motion that can be transferred by particles
- propulsion — the process of producing movement or forward thrust
- maneuverability — ability of an object to change course or position
- optical power — amount of light energy delivered per unit time
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Discussion questions
- What technical challenges might researchers face when trying to scale metajets from micron devices to larger spacecraft? Give reasons based on the article.
- How could testing metajets in microgravity provide different information than tests in a fluid? Use details from the text.
- What practical applications beyond space travel could light-driven, metasurface-based devices have? Explain with examples and reasons.
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