c/askphysics · by JoshuaSlowpoke777@lemmy.world · 2y

How does one calculate the necessary surface area for a laser-propelled light sail for a spacecraft, so it doesn’t get shredded by the beam?

Edit: I assume we’d at least have to take intended acceleration and the mass of the spacecraft into account, at least, right?

21 points · 3 comments · view on lemmy.world

3 Comments

Pons_Aelius@kbin.social · 6 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Sometimes it is best to go to source papers as lemmy/kbin does not handle complex formula well.

Here is a link to a relevant paper:

Theory of light sail acceleration by intense lasers

Another paper on the effectiveness of various materials in solar sail production:

Multilayers for directed energy accelerated lightsails

JoshuaSlowpoke777@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y

So let’s say the spacecraft itself is about 1 billion metric tonnes, the sail is made of 7 layers containing titanium oxide and magnesium difluoride, the beam can keep itself consistent, and the intended acceleration is 1g…

badcommandorfilename@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y

I assume pressure is pressure is pressure even in space? We measure tensile strength in MPa.