The stability of a light sail riding on a laser beam is analyzed both analytically and numerically. Conical sails on Gaussian beams, which have been studied in the past, are shown to be unstable in ...

Andreas M. Hein, Kelvin F. Long, Dan Fries, Nikolaos Perakis, Angelo Genovese, Stefan Zeidler, Martin Langer, Richard Osborne, Rob Swinney, John Davies, Bill Cress, Marc Casson, Adrian Mann, Rachel ...

Quick: what’s the most successful, stable, one-design dinghy class in world history? Answer: the Laser, of course, now rolling past 200,000 boats worldwide. In fact, in celebration of this milestone, ...

Researchers have developed a novel, lab-tested design for a laser-driven light sail that exhibits self-stabilization capabilities. This innovative design mitigates beam misalignment, a critical ...

Diffraction gratings could allow laser-sailing craft to hold the line. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Spacecraft could fly to ...

The International Laser Class Association (ILCA) is pleased to announce the release of a completely new class-legal design for the Laser standard rig sail. The release marks the first time in over 40 ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The $100 million Breakthrough Starshot initiative aims to use lasers ...

The universe is big, staggeringly, mind-bendingly big. There are trillions and trillions of stars in the observable universe but traveling to even the closest one with our best rockets would take tens ...

Imagine a large, round, flat, thin disk four meters (13 feet) in diameter that weighs just four grams (0.14 ounce, about the same weight as a small coin) and that is big enough to almost cover the ...

Imagine a place like our solar system. A place with a ‘central’ star orbited by planets but light years away. There might be a planet there with water and living organisms. Now imagine if you could ...