How to Ride a Laser Beam

This is a talk I gave at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics for the Institute for Theory and Computation (ITC) Luncheon. A video of the talk is available here: https://youtu.be/A229uFsQ73g?t=50m55s

Transcript

1. Zac  Manchester Harvard  SEAS How  to  Ride  a  Laser  Beam
2. 2 Starshot
3. ! Beam Sail " 3 Sail  Dynamics F = Z S 2 P( x ) ˆ b · ˆ n ( x ) c ˆ n ( x ) dS ⌧ = Z S 2 P( x ) ˆ b · ˆ n ( x ) c r ( x ) ⇥ ˆ n ( x ) dS m¨ x = F I ˙ ! + ! ⇥ I! = ⌧
4. ! " ≈ −%& ! 4 “Beam  Riding”  Stability Re ⇢ eig ✓ @f? @ x x ⇤ ◆ < 0 ˙ x = f?( x ⇤) = 0
5. 5 Conical  Sails  on  Gaussian  Beams ! ω# $ % & ' ( )
6. 6 Non-­‐Spinning  Case
7. 7 Pendulum  Sail? !" #
8. 8 Spinning  Case ω "
9. 9 Spherical  Sail ! " # $
10. 10 Beam  Profile
11. 11 Potential  Function
12. 12 Simulations
13. zmanchester@seas.harvard.edu Questions?