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Dynamically stable radiation pressure propulsion of flexible lightsails for interstellar exploration
Ramon Gao1, Michael D Kelzenberg1, Harry A Atwater2
1Thomas J. Watson Laboratory of Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.
Nature Communications
|May 17, 2024
Summary
Flexible lightsail spacecraft propelled by lasers offer a new path for space exploration. Nanophotonic designs demonstrate stable, spin-stabilized propulsion, making interstellar travel feasible with advanced microfabrication.
Area of Science:
- Aerospace Engineering
- Materials Science
- Optics and Photonics
Background:
- Laser-driven lightsail spacecraft represent a novel propulsion concept for interstellar travel.
- Achieving relativistic velocities requires overcoming significant material and engineering challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the structural and photonic design of flexible lightsails for laser-driven propulsion.
- To investigate the stability and feasibility of meter-scale, submicron-thick lightsail designs.
Main Methods:
- Development of a mesh-based multiphysics simulator utilizing linear elastic theory.
- Analysis of nanophotonic lightsails using planar silicon nitride membranes with optical metagratings.
Main Results:
- Identified spin-stabilized flexible lightsail designs that resist shape collapse during acceleration.
- Demonstrated beam-riding stability despite deformations from photon pressure and thermal expansion.
- Nanophotonic lightsails exhibit mechanically and dynamically stable propulsion along the laser axis.
Conclusions:
- Laser-driven acceleration of membrane-like lightsails to relativistic speeds for interstellar distances is conceptually feasible.
- Fabrication of such lightsails could be achieved by scaling up current microfabrication technologies.
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