One idea for exploring distant star systems is to use a laser-pushed light sail to propel tiny probes out of our solar system. The basic idea is that an Earth-based laser is aimed at the light sail of the probe, and the radiation pressure causes the probe to accelerate. Suppose a 150-kW laser array with a beam cross-section of 0.012 m2 is incident on the perfectly reflecting light sail of a 0.075 kg probe. a. What is the radiation pressure on the probe due to the laser? b. Assuming all of the laser light is incident on the light sail perpendicular to the plane of the sail, what is the acceleration of the probe? (Make the admittedly terrible assumption that the only significant force on the probe is from the radiation pressure). c. Using your answer to part b, and assuming the probe is initially at rest, how long in years would it take for the probe to travel one light year (this is the distance light travels in vacuum in one year), and how fast would it be moving once it travels that far, if the laser were continuously directed at the sail?
One idea for exploring distant star systems is to use a laser-pushed light sail to propel tiny probes out of our solar system. The basic idea is that an Earth-based laser is aimed at the light sail of the probe, and the
a. What is the radiation pressure on the probe due to the laser?
b. Assuming all of the laser light is incident on the light sail perpendicular to the plane of the sail, what is the acceleration of the probe? (Make the admittedly terrible assumption that the only significant force on the probe is from the radiation pressure).
c. Using your answer to part b, and assuming the probe is initially at rest, how long in years would it take for the probe to travel one light year (this is the distance light travels in vacuum in one year), and how fast would it be moving once it travels that far, if the laser were continuously directed at the sail?
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