Accelerating Particles with Lasers - Knowledge for Knowledge's Sake

[aseylys]

So I'm just asking a hypothetical question here, just looking for insight on something I'm thinking about really.

Scientists are able to reach almost absolute zero by slowing the movement of particles with lasers. So I was thinking, is the inverse possible?

If a laser was to strike incident to a particle would the force be able to accelerate the particle? If so would it only be a single particle or would it be multiple?

Again, just knowledge for knowledge's sake. Thanks guys!

 

[Simon Bridge]

Yes - light carries momentum so what it hits gains momentum by the usual conservation laws.
It works for macroscopic objects as well as individual particles, and has been used for propulsion.

 

[Nabeshin]

In this type of situation, in practice it's not helpful to think of the laser as a stream of photons but rather a classical EM wave. From this point of view, its known as an inverse Free-Electron Laser (in an FEL, energy is transferred from electrons to a laser, so inverse indicates the opposite direction of energy flow).