SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Innovate. Sustain. Transform.
Save up to 30% on top Physical Sciences & Engineering titles!
Photonic Laser Propulsion
- 1st Edition - March 11, 2025
- Author: Young K. Bae
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 4 4 3 - 3 3 6 2 7 - 0
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 4 4 3 - 3 3 6 2 8 - 7
Photonic Laser Propulsion offers a thrilling glimpse into the future of rapid mass space transportation by surveying one of the most significant breakthrough technologies… Read more
Purchase options
Institutional subscription on ScienceDirect
Request a sales quotePhotonic Laser Propulsion offers a thrilling glimpse into the future of rapid mass space transportation by surveying one of the most significant breakthrough technologies to overcome the limitations of current propulsion systems based on conventional rocketry.
Written by the pioneer of photonic laser propulsion (PLP), this book strives to establish a strong foundational understanding while exploring advanced theoretical concepts. Readers are guided through quantum mechanics, optical resonators, and radiation pressure that underpin this revolutionary thrust mechanism, to then be offered past experimental milestones and cutting-edge demonstrations that trace its evolution and validate its feasibility. A presentation of current application examples as well as long-term development pathways for interplanetary commutes and interstellar probes conclude the excursus, fostering curiosity and charting a course for further research exploration in this dynamic realm.
Researchers both in academia and industry and a host of other technical audiences at all levels will think of this volume, which consolidates a growing body of knowledge surrounding PLP, as a key resource for their study or work to enable innovative space endeavors, including human civilization’s expansion within our solar system or interstellar exploration.
Written by the pioneer of photonic laser propulsion (PLP), this book strives to establish a strong foundational understanding while exploring advanced theoretical concepts. Readers are guided through quantum mechanics, optical resonators, and radiation pressure that underpin this revolutionary thrust mechanism, to then be offered past experimental milestones and cutting-edge demonstrations that trace its evolution and validate its feasibility. A presentation of current application examples as well as long-term development pathways for interplanetary commutes and interstellar probes conclude the excursus, fostering curiosity and charting a course for further research exploration in this dynamic realm.
Researchers both in academia and industry and a host of other technical audiences at all levels will think of this volume, which consolidates a growing body of knowledge surrounding PLP, as a key resource for their study or work to enable innovative space endeavors, including human civilization’s expansion within our solar system or interstellar exploration.
- Covers PLP thoroughly—from theoretical foundations and principles to a wide range of applications, including mass space transportation
- Includes industry-relevant insights to integrate this revolutionary propulsion technology into ongoing and future space projects
- Features case studies and methods designed to enhance technical understanding and facilitate real-world applications
- Features engaging, accessible content that also appeals to space enthusiasts, science communicators, and policy makers, regardless of their technical or scientific background
Researchers, academics, graduate students in aerospace engineering, applied mechanical engineering, electrical engineering (electronics and/or power systems engineering), and plasma physics (astrophysics and/or atomic and laser physics). Engineers, scientists, and professional consultants working in the aerospace industry, including space agencies, research institutions, and public or privately funded companies engaged in novel propulsion solutions or space/interstellar travel technologies.
- Title of Book
- Cover image
- Title page
- Table of Contents
- Copyright
- Dedication
- About the author
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Part I: Background
- 1. Introduction
- Abstract
- 1.1 Overview of space transportation
- 1.2 The imperative for advanced propulsion technologies
- 1.3 Photonic laser propulsion: a comprehensive overview
- 1.4 Organization and scope of the book
- 1.5 AI disclosure
- References
- 2. Surmounting the fundamental constraints of the rocket equation
- Abstract
- List of symbols
- 2.1 Fundamental constraints of the rocket equation
- 2.2 Antimatter rockets
- 2.3 Photon rockets
- 2.4 Non-rocket propulsions with photons
- 2.5 AI disclosure
- Reference
- 3. Amplified radiation pressure
- Abstract
- List of symbols
- 3.1 The role of pressure in rocket thrusters
- 3.2 Radiation pressure amplification and applications
- 3.3 Photon-thrust amplification with a passive optical cavity
- 3.4 Photon-thrust amplification with an active optical cavity
- 3.5 AI disclosure
- References
- Part II: Fundamentals and technology details
- 4. Fundamentals of photonic laser propulsion
- Abstract
- List of symbols
- 4.1 Modified passive cavity approximation
- 4.2 Dynamical resonant frequency shift
- 4.3 Optodynamics
- 4.4 Diffraction and laser beam divergence
- 4.5 Maximum achievable spacecraft velocities
- 4.6 Optical and mechanical properties of PLP mirrors
- 4.7 Thermodynamics of PLP mirrors
- 4.8 Propellant requirements for powering station stationkeeping
- 4.9 AI disclosure
- References
- 5. Quantum aspect of photonic laser propulsion
- Abstract
- List of symbols
- 5.1 Momentum of photons
- 5.2 “Rest mass” of photons in optical resonators
- 5.3 Quantization of photons in optical resonators
- 5.4 Quantum mechanical diffraction in optical resonators
- 5.5 Quantum electronical effects on PLP performance
- 5.6 AI disclosure
- References
- Part III: Applications and future missions
- Chapter 6. Photonic laser thruster
- Abstract
- List of symbols
- 6.1 Methods I: discovery of photonic laser thruster
- 6.2 Methods II: scaling-up demonstration of photonic laser thruster
- 6.3 Methods III: propulsion demonstration with photonic laser thruster
- 6.4 Case study I: photon tether formation flying architecture
- 6.5 Case study II: photonic laser thruster-enabled innovative spacecraft maneuvering
- 6.6 Case study III: PLT surface transportation systems in atmosphere-free environments
- 6.7 AI disclosure
- References
- 7. Photonic railway
- Abstract
- List of symbols
- 7.1 Case study IV: photonic railway developmental milestone I with Vmax=10 km/s
- 7.2 Case study V: photonic railway developmental milestone II with Vmax=100 km/s
- 7.3 Case study VI: photonic railway developmental milestone III with Vmax=1000 km/s
- 7.4 Discussions and conclusions
- 7.5 AI disclosure
- References
- 8. The future
- Abstract
- List of symbols
- 8.1 Case study VII: cislunar photonic railways
- 8.2 Case study VIII: interplanetary photonic railways
- 8.3 Case study IX: interstellar probes with photonic railways
- 8.4 Crew-capable interstellar photonic railway
- 8.5 Reduction of required pump laser power
- 8.6 Discussions
- 8.7 Conclusions
- 8.8 AI disclosure
- References
- Index
- No. of pages: 344
- Language: English
- Edition: 1
- Published: March 11, 2025
- Imprint: Elsevier
- Paperback ISBN: 9780443336270
- eBook ISBN: 9780443336287
YB
Young K. Bae
Dr. Bae, a visionary rocket scientist and physicist, is the pioneering force behind the revolutionary Photonic Laser Propulsion (PLP). He has invented transformative systems such as the Photonic Laser Thruster (PLT), Photonic Railway, and Photon Tether Formation Flight (PTFF). Beyond his contributions to PLP, Dr. Bae discovered the Metastable Innershell Molecular State (MIMS), advancing the science of stellar matter crucial for realizing nuclear fusion power. For his Ph.D. in experimental atomic and plasma physics from UC Berkeley, Dr. Bae conducted research on optical diagnostics for magnetic confinement fusion. At SRI International (formerly Stanford Research Institute), his research focused on self-neutralizing negative ions for particle beams for nuclear fusion and Strategic Defense Initiatives (SDI), leading to the discovery of a self-neutralizing negative ion of the helium molecule. Collaborating with the US Air Force and the late Dr. Forward, he also explored condensing antiprotons for antimatter propulsion. In the late 1980s, seeking a new scientific breakthrough in nuclear fusion power, Dr. Bae began researching transient stellar matter created by ultra-hypervelocity impacts of clusters and large molecules. He expanded this research at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), where his group observed anomalous signals that ultimately led to the discovery of the MIMS, high-energy molecules with binding energies up to 1000 times greater than those of conventional molecules. In 2007, Dr. Bae established Y. K. Bae Corp to advance PLP and MIMS research, collaborating with NASA, Los Alamos National Lab, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the US Air Force, and ATK Mission Research. Recently, he and the Los Alamos team demonstrated hypervelocity helium jets reaching velocities of 90 km/s, surpassing the Russian record. Their research aims to explore transient stellar materials generated by compression under billions of atmospheres pressure with minimal electron heating, unlike traditional laser fusion methods.
Affiliations and expertise
Chief Scientist, Y.K. Bae Corporation, Corona, CA, USARead Photonic Laser Propulsion on ScienceDirect