Tractor beams with optimal pulling force using structured waves

Abstract

Moving objects with optical or acoustical waves is a topic both of fundamental interest and of importance for a range of practical applications. One particularly intriguing example is the tractor beam, which pulls an object toward the wave's source, in opposition to the wave's momentum. In this study, we introduce a protocol that enables the identification of wave states that produce the optimal tractor force for arbitrary objects. Our method relies solely on the solution of a simple eigenvalue problem involving the system's measurable scattering matrix. Using numerical simulations, we demonstrate the efficacy of this wavefront shaping protocol for a representative set of different targets. Moreover, we show that the diffractive nature of waves enables the possibility of a tractor beam, that works even for targets where a geometric optics approach fails to explain the pulling forces.

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Cited by in corpus (5)

• Continuity Equation for the Flow of Fisher Information in Wave Scattering
• Wave momentum shaping for moving objects in heterogeneous and dynamic media
• Radiation forces and torques in optics and acoustics
• Pseudounitary Floquet scattering matrix for wave-front shaping in time-periodic photonic media
• Dynamic and Geometric Shifts in Wave Scattering