Reflection from Inclined, Relativistic Light Sails
arXiv:2307.15000 · doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ad10b0
Abstract
Kipping (2017) discusses relativistic reflection from light sails. As an extension to this work, we present a new formula for relativistic reflection of sunlight from a light sail moving at a velocity inclined at an arbitrary angle, using an elementary two-body analysis. The formula is shown to reduce to the formulas of Euclid, Einstein, and Gjurchinovski in the relevant limits. This calculation may be extended to calculate the kinetic energy gained by a relativistic light sail inclined at an arbitrary angle.
arXiv commentAccepted to The Astronomical Journal
References in corpus (13)
- Reflection of light from a uniformly moving mirror
- Stability of a Light Sail Riding on a Laser Beam
- SETI via Leakage from Light Sails in Exoplanetary Systems
- Fast Radio Bursts from Extragalactic Light Sails
- Relativistic Light Sails
- Structural Stability of a Lightsail for Laser-Driven Interstellar Flight
- Self-stabilization of light sails by damped internal degrees of freedom
- Electric sails are potentially more effective than light sails near most stars
- Reflection from a moving mirror - a simple derivation using the photon model of light
- Photogravimagnetic assists of light sails: a mixed blessing for Breakthrough Starshot?
- Einstein's mirror revisited
- Spaceflight from Super-Earths is difficult
- Simulating the Action Principle in Optics