SCIENCE - Physicists create tractor beam for microscopic particles

(Phys.org)—New York University physicists have created a tractor beam capable of pulling particles micrometers in size. This so-called optical conveyor tractor beam, reported in the journal Physical Review Letters, has a range of potential applications, from microfluidics in the near term to far-out applications like collecting dust samples from comet tails.

http://phys.org/news272182664.html