Researchers at Texas A&M University have demonstrated a laser-driven propulsion system that can lift and steer tiny objects without physical contact, a step that could one day help power spacecraft to nearby stars.<\/p>\n
The team used specially engineered micron-scale devices called \u201cmetajets\u201d that move when struck by laser light. By shaping how the devices interact with incoming light, researchers were able to control motion in multiple directions.<\/p>\n
The breakthrough matters because current rocket technology would take hundreds of thousands of years to reach Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system. Texas A&M researchers say light-based propulsion could eventually cut that journey to roughly 20 years.<\/p>\n
For now, the experiments were carried out on devices smaller than the width of a human hair, but the team says the underlying physics could scale to much larger systems if enough optical power is available.<\/p>\n
Light becomes thrust<\/p>\n
Metajets are built from metasurfaces, ultrathin materials patterned with nanoscale structures that can precisely control how light behaves.<\/p>\n
Instead of using fuel, the system relies on momentum transfer from photons. When laser light reflects from the surface, it exerts a tiny force that can push an object forward.<\/p>\n
Researchers compare the effect to ping pong balls bouncing off a surface. Each impact transfers momentum, and enough of those impacts can create measurable thrust.<\/p>\n
By carefully designing the surface geometry, the team made the devices move in three dimensions, allowing lifting, turning, and steering.<\/p>\n
That level of control is notable because many earlier optical propulsion systems focused on movement in limited directions or depended on shaping the light beam itself.<\/p>\n
Steering with photons<\/p>\n
Texas A&M says its method places the control directly into the material rather than the external light source. That could simplify future systems and make scaling easier.<\/p>\n
The force generated depends mainly on the power of the light rather than the size of the device, suggesting similar principles may apply to much larger platforms.<\/p>\n
To build the metajets, the team used nanoscale fabrication techniques that precisely controlled the shape, orientation, and placement of tiny features across each surface.<\/p>\n
Testing took place in a fluid environment, which helped offset gravity and made the motion easier to observe.<\/p>\n
The researchers are now seeking funding to test the concept in microgravity<\/a>, where laser propulsion could be studied without the constraints of Earth\u2019s gravity.<\/p>\n If successful, the technology could eventually support fuel-free movement for tiny machines, orbital systems, or deep-space probes.<\/p>\n