Demonstration of tractor beam laser propulsion using aerodynamics effects

2011 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23656537
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Aerospace engineering
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: SASOH Akihiro 名古屋大学, 工学研究科, 教授 (40215752)
• Project Period (FY): 2011
• Keywords: レーザー / 推進 / アブレーション / インパスル

Research Abstract

'Tractor beam' thrust is defined in laser ablation propulsion as generating a thrust in the direction toward a laser device. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of this technique, a torsion-type impulse stand with a high accuracy was designed and manufactured. Using this, the generation of a tractor beam thrust was demonstrated both in the atmosphere and in vacuum.

Research Products

• [Presentation] Impulse Performance of Ablation Laser Propulsion with Repetitive 1-μm Laser Pulses (2012)
  • Author(s): A. Sasoh, S. Yokota, S. Harada, H. Tsuruta
  • Organizer: Asian Joint Conference on Propulsion and Power 2012
  • Place of Presentation: Xi' an(China)
  • Year and Date: 20120301-04
• [Presentation] Laser Ablation Tractor Beaming with Bilayer Targets (2012)
  • Author(s): J. E. Sinko, C. A. Schlecht, T. Lis, R. Davidson, D. Gregory, S. Yokota, S. Harada, A. Sasoh, B. I. Oh and M. Larus
  • Organizer: 50th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition
  • Place of Presentation: Nashville, Tennessee(USA)
  • Year and Date: 20120109-12