Laser power transmission in space: Plasma-based power cell

Laser power beaming offers a route to space energy delivery, but semiconductor laser photovoltaic receivers face thermalization, joule heat, and radiative recombination waste, etc. Here we propose a gas-phase plasma power cell that converts vacuum-ultraviolet photons into electrical output through xenon photoionization and magnetically biased charge separation. Particle-in-cell Monte Carlo simulations of a low-pressure xenon chamber driven by a 58.4 nm pulsed laser predict a steady-state laser-to-electrical conversion efficiency of 82.25% at 2000 W/m2 average incident power. Energy accounting closes to 1%, with 7.52% photon escape, 8.95% boundary loss, and 1.29% chamber-stored energy. Parameter scans over bias voltage, magnetic field, and gas pressure identify photon absorption and electron confinement as controlling design factors. These results are a proof-of-concept gas-phase receiver architecture for space laser power beaming.