Related papers: AB Space Engine
Materials in which heat and entropy can be transmitted by directed ballistic pulses can trigger new approaches to energy transduction in solids. We predict that a ballistic energy transfer mode, with heat propagation governed by a wave…
This paper studies a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-enabled wireless power transfer (WPT) system, where a UAV-mounted energy transmitter (ET) broadcasts wireless energy to charge distributed energy receivers (ERs) on the ground. In…
Simulations have shown that a high energy, short and intense proton beam can drive a large amplitude plasma wave and accelerate an electron beam to the energy frontier in a single plasma channel. To verify this novel idea, a…
A high-intensity laser beam propagating through a dense plasma drives a strong current that robustly sustains a strong quasi-static Mega Tesla-level azimuthal magnetic field. The transverse laser field efficiently accelerates electrons in…
The description of the local turbulent energy transfer, and the high-resolution ion distributions measured by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, together provide a formidable tool to explore the cross-scale connection between the…
A non-negligible fraction of a Supermassive Black Hole's (SMBH) rest mass energy gets transported into extragalactic space by a remarkable process in jets which are incompletely understood. What are the physical processes which transport…
We outline a method of beamed power for propulsion that utilizes relativistic electron beams. The physics of charged particle beam propagation in the space plasma environment is discussed and the long-range (>100 A.U.) advantage of…
Collisionless shock waves are one of the main forms of energy conversion in space plasmas. They can directly or indirectly drive other universal plasma processes such as magnetic reconnection, turbulence, particle acceleration and wave…
Space exploration is of paramount importance to advancing fundamental science and providing global services, such as navigation and communications. However, today's space missions are hindered by limitations of existing propulsion…
Pulsed laser ablation propulsion has the potential to revolutionize space exploration by eliminating the requirement of a spacecraft to carry its propellant and power source as the high-power laser is situated off-board. More…
Orbit insertion at Saturn requires a large impulsive manoeuver due to the velocity difference between the spacecraft and the planet. This paper presents a strategy to reduce dramatically the hyperbolic excess speed at Saturn by means of…
Recently, the wireless energy transfer model can be described as the Schrodinger equation [Annals of Physics, 2011, 326(3): 626-633; Annals of Physics, 2012, 327(9): 2245-2250]. Therefore, wireless energy transfer can be designed by…
While it is generally thought that molecular outflows from young stellar objects (YSOs) are accelerated by underlying stellar winds or highly collimated jets, the actual mechanism of acceleration remains uncertain. The most favoured model,…
A deuterium-tritium (DT) nuclear pulse propulsion concept for fast interplanetary transport is proposed utilizing almost all the energy for thrust and without the need for a large radiator: 1. By letting the thermonuclear micro-explosion…
Electric sails are propulsion systems that generate momentum via the deflection of stellar wind particles through electric forces. Here, we investigate the relative merits of electric sails and light sails driven by stellar radiation…
We present a theoretical analysis of an innovative combination of a nuclear thermal and electromagnetic (EM) thruster. Specifically, we scrutinize the thermodynamics involved in integrating a nuclear thermal reactor with an expansion…
With interstellar mission concepts now being under study by various space agencies and institutions, a feasible and worthy interstellar precursor mission concept will be key to the success of the long shot. Here we investigate…
The well-known schemes (e.g. Brunel, resonance absorption, JxB heating etc.) couple laser energy to the lighter electron species of the plasma. In this work, a fundamentally new mechanism of laser energy absorption directly to the heavier…
We present first results from a novel experimental platform which is able to access physics relevant to topics including indirect-drive magnetised ICF; laser energy deposition; various topics in atomic physics; and laboratory astrophysics…
The properties of energy transfer in the kinetic range of plasma turbulence have fundamental implications on the turbulent heating of space and astrophysical plasmas. It was recently suggested that magnetic reconnection may be responsible…