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Matthew F Campbell1, John Brewer2, Deep Jariwala3

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To prevent tearing during high-speed interstellar journeys, thin light sails accelerated by lasers need significant curvature. Optimal designs for gram-scale payloads feature comparable diameter and radius of curvature, enhancing acceleration.

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Area of Science:

  • * Physics
  • * Aerospace Engineering
  • * Materials Science

Background:

  • * Light sails offer a potential propulsion method for interstellar travel.
  • * High-velocity acceleration of thin films can induce significant mechanical stress.
  • * Previous designs have not fully addressed the thermo-mechanical challenges of relativistic light sail acceleration.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To investigate the necessity and impact of curvature on light sail mechanical integrity during laser acceleration.
  • * To determine optimal sail dimensions and curvature for gram-scale payloads.
  • * To analyze the relationship between sail curvature and acceleration length.

Main Methods:

  • * Development and application of an integrated opto-thermo-mechanical model.
  • * Simulation of light sail behavior under laser-induced relativistic acceleration.
  • * Parametric analysis of sail diameter, radius of curvature, and laser power.

Main Results:

  • * Significant sail curvature is required to mitigate intrafilm mechanical stresses and prevent tearing.
  • * Optimal circular light sails for gram-scale payloads have diameters and radii of curvature on the order of a few meters.
  • * Increased sail curvature leads to decreased acceleration length with sufficient laser power.

Conclusions:

  • * Curved light sail designs are crucial for enabling high-velocity interstellar missions.
  • * The study provides design guidelines for light sails, optimizing them for interstellar exploration.
  • * Findings support the development of light sail technology for reaching destinations like the Oort cloud and Alpha Centauri.