Related papers: Developing a Launch Package for the PEGASUS Launch…

Radiation Pressure Acceleration relies on high intensity laser pulse interacting with solid target to obtain high maximum energy, quasimonoenergetic ion beams. Either extremely high power laser pulses or tight focusing of laser radiation is…

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…

MAGIX is a planned experiment that will be implemented at the upcoming accelerator MESA in Mainz. Due to its location in the energy-recovering lane of the accelerator beam-currents up to 1mA with a maximum energy of 105 MeV will be…

The authors describe the general motion of radiation-pushed sails accelerated near the speed of light with directed energy propulsion. Practical applications of the model are also given, including the interstellar flyby mission to the Alpha…

Rocket technology, originally developed for military applications, has provided a low-cost observing platform to carry critical and rapid-response scientific investigations for over 70 years. Even with the development of launch vehicles…

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…

The ICARUS T600 detector, with its 470 tons of active mass, is the largest liquid Argon TPC ever built. Operated for three years in the LNGS underground laboratory, it has collected thousands of CNGS neutrino beam interactions and cosmic…

Modern laser plasma accelerators (LPAs) often require plasma waveguides tens of cm long to propagate a high-intensity drive laser pulse. Tapering the longitudinal gas density profile in 10 cm scale gas jets could allow for single stage…

This study is carried out in the framework of sample-return missions to asteroids that use a low-speed projectile as the primary component of its sampling mechanism (e.g., JAXA's Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 missions). We perform numerical…

Longitudinal ion acceleration from high-intensity (I ~ 10^20 Wcm^-2) laser interactions with helium gas jet targets (n_e ~ 0.04 n_c) have been observed. The ion beam has a maximum energy for He^2+ of approximately 40 MeV and was directional…

This paper presents a novel approach to launch single microparticles at high velocities under low vacuum conditions. In an all-optical table-top method, microparticles with sizes ranging from a few microns to tens of microns are accelerated…

Trajectory planning at high velocities and at the handling limits is a challenging task. In order to cope with the requirements of a race scenario, we propose a far-sighted two step, multi-layered graph-based trajectory planner, capable to…

A classic problem of the motion of a point mass (projectile) thrown at an angle to the horizon is reviewed. The air drag force is taken into account with the drag factor assumed to be constant. Analytic approach is used for investigation.…

Missiles pose a major threat to aircraft in modern air combat. Advances in technology make them increasingly difficult to detect until they are close to the target and highly resistant to jamming. The evasion maneuver is the last line of…

We demonstrate laser-plasma acceleration of high charge electron beams to the ~10 MeV scale using ultrashort laser pulses with as little energy as 10 mJ. This result is made possible by an extremely dense and thin hydrogen gas jet. Total…

From the prevention of natural disasters such as landslide and avalanches, to the enhancement of energy efficiencies in chemical and civil engineering industries, understanding the collective dynamics of granular materials is a fundamental…

Recent observations of asteroidal surfaces indicate the presence of materials that do not match the bulk lithology of the body. A possible explanation for the presence of these exogenous materials is that they are products of inter-asteroid…

Electrical weapons and combat systems integrated into ships create challenges for their power systems. The main challenge is operation under high-power ramp rate loads, such as rail-guns and radar systems. When operated, these load devices…

We investigated how a target's porosity affects the outcome of a collision, with respect to the impactor's fate. Laboratory impact experiments using peridot projectiles were performed at a speed range between 0.3 and 3.0 km/s, onto high…

Exploring and traveling to distant stars has long fascinated humanity but has been limited due to the vast distances. The Breakthrough Starshot Program aims at eliminating this limitation by traveling to Alpha Centauri, which is 4.37…