'Tractor beam' is possible with lasers, say scientists

BBC News - 'Tractor beam' is possible with lasers, say scientists: "A laser can act as a 'tractor beam', drawing small objects back toward the laser's source, scientists have said.

It is known that light can provide a 'push', for example in solar sails that propel spacecraft on a 'wind of light'.

Now, in a paper on the Arxiv server, researchers from Hong Kong and China have calculated the conditions required to create a laser-based 'pull'."