Stable diffractive beam rider

A passively stable laser-driven lightsail is described, which makes use of a spatially variant "bi-grating" sail with a mass (payload) attached to a boom (patent pending). A two-dimensional analytical model of the system, a linear stability analysis, and numerical solutions of the equation...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Optics letters 2019-06, Vol.44 (12), p.3082-3085
Main Authors: Srivastava, Prateek R, Chu, Ying-Ju Lucy, Swartzlander, Grover A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acceleration
Damping
Design parameters
Dimensional stability
Dynamic stability
Economic conditions
Equations of motion
Laser beams
Motion stability
Parameter identification
Solar sails
Stability analysis
Two dimensional analysis
Two dimensional models
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Summary:A passively stable laser-driven lightsail is described, which makes use of a spatially variant "bi-grating" sail with a mass (payload) attached to a boom (patent pending). A two-dimensional analytical model of the system, a linear stability analysis, and numerical solutions of the equations of motion are reported. The acceleration of the light sail along the beam path is found to depend on the grating parameters. We identify stability conditions that depend on the grating design, beam parameters, and boom length. The inclusion of damping is found to enhance the dynamic range of stability.
ISSN:0146-9592
1539-4794
DOI:10.1364/OL.44.003082