Four Light Driven News Today

A hand-held laser pointer produces no noticeable recoil forces when it is "fired" - even though it emits a directed stream of light particles. The reason for this is its very large mass compared to the very small recoil impulses that the light particles cause when leaving the laser pointer.

For the first time, University of Würzburg physicists have been successful in propelling micrometer-sized drones using just light and exerting clear-cut control. These microdrones are considerably smaller in comparison to red blood cells.