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Multifunctional metasails for self-stabilized beam-riding and optical communication.

Mohammadrasoul Taghavi1, Mohammad Mahdi Salary1, Hossein Mosallaei1

  • 1Northeastern University USA hosseinm@ece.neu.edu.

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Summary

This study introduces metasails, advanced lightsails using metasurfaces, for interstellar travel. These metasails enable high acceleration, stable beam-riding, and enhanced communication for deep-space probes.

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Area of Science:

  • Photonics
  • Spacecraft Propulsion
  • Optical Communication

Background:

  • Interstellar exploration requires spacecraft capable of relativistic velocities.
  • Breakthrough Starshot aims to use lightsails for a mission to Alpha Centauri.
  • Lightsails need high acceleration, beam-riding stability, and efficient communication.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To design a multifunctional metasail for photonic propulsion and optical communication.
  • To achieve high acceleration and self-stabilized beam-riding for deep-space probes.
  • To maximize downlink communication gain using metasurface technology.

Main Methods:

  • Designed a metasail using two interleaved dielectric unit cell subarrays.
  • Utilized Pancharatnam-Berry geometric phase for propulsion and communication optimization.
  • Simulated beam-riding stability, including relativistic Doppler shift effects.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated a multifunctional metasail platform.
  • Verified self-stabilized beam-riding and high acceleration capabilities.
  • Achieved maximized transmission gain for downlink optical communication.

Conclusions:

  • Metasails are promising for laser-driven deep-space probes.
  • The designed metasail successfully integrates propulsion and communication functions.
  • Metasurface technology offers a viable path for future interstellar missions.