Basics of designing a lightsail?
We all know (or know how to find) the "rocket equation" that drives the design of a conventional rocket, and we've gone over such things as "specific impulse" and the difference between fuel and reaction mass for more advanced rockets. There are books and blogs about it.
But what about photon sails?
How big does a sail need to be? I mean, what factors drive figuring out the particulars of a design? How tight can an interstellar laser be kept, and how much power can you give it? Does it make a difference what wavelength is used? How light-weight can a sail be?
What are the absolute basics, and what resources are available?
This post was sourced from https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/51935. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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