Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Credit: NASA
Caltech scientists are pioneering laser-driven lightsails that could propel spacecraft beyond the solar system, bringing interstellar exploration closer to reality.
Inspired by the Breakthrough Starshot Initiative, these ultrathin, laser-powered sails aim to send probes to Alpha Centauri, traveling faster than any spacecraft ever built.
Credit: The Planetary Society
Harry Atwater of Caltech highlights the need for sails that endure heat, pressure, and laser alignment—crucial factors in making the technology viable for space travel.
Credit: Caltech
Using silicon nitride membranes, Caltech's team created a miniature lightsail resembling a trampoline, demonstrating how materials respond to radiation pressure from lasers.
Credit: NASA
The researchers employed an advanced interferometer to measure minute sail motions caused by laser beams, detecting movements as small as picometers (trillionths of a meter).
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By turning laser-induced heat into an advantage, the team developed a novel method to isolate and measure the force of radiation pressure on the sail’s surface.
Credit: Caltech
The team angled laser beams to mimic realistic spaceflight conditions, discovering that light scattering at the sail's edges reduces propulsion efficiency under certain angles.
Representative pic
Researchers plan to use nanostructured materials to enhance sail stability, enabling self-correction for side-to-side motion or rotation out of the laser beam’s path.
Representative pic
This work, published in Nature Photonics, is a crucial step toward realizing lightsails capable of accelerating freely in space, revolutionizing interstellar exploration.