Tiny 'metajets' could use light to steer sails for interstellar travel
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- Texas A&M University researchers led by Kaushik Kudtarkar built a 0.01‑mm metasurface “metajet” that uses light refraction to generate thrust in multiple directions.
- Metajet levitated and moved horizontally in water when illuminated by a laser, reaching a speed of roughly 0.07 mm/s.
- Metasurface pillars on the device steer incoming light, allowing the strength and direction of momentum transfer to be tuned by the pattern and size of the pillars.
- Researchers say redesigning the metasurface could enable steering of light sails for interstellar travel and also allow heat‑free, targeted drug delivery.
- Team is testing the metajet with various wavelengths, aiming to make it responsive to broadband sunlight for space applications.
Why it matters: Space agencies and private firms developing light‑sail probes gain a steering tool that works at 0.07 mm/s, turning passive sails into controllable spacecraft and making interstellar missions more realistic.
