A Comparison of Laser and Microwave Approaches to CW Beamed Energy Launch
Abstract
One approach to beamed energy propulsion uses a solid heat exchanger to absorb energy from a distant source and transfer it to a working fluid. Systems of this type can be designed using either microwave or laser sources. In general, microwave sources have been expected to be less expensive than lasers for a given power, but to be more limited in range and/or energy density. With the development of high power millimeter-wave sources and low-cost diode laser arrays, both assumptions are open to question. In this paper, we compare current and projected microwave and laser source technologies for a 100-kilogram-class ground-to-orbit launch system and identify key issues affecting the system-level trade between the two approaches.
Additional Information
© 2006 American Institute of Physics. The authors would like to thank Dr. James N. Benford of Microwave Sciences Inc. for his advice, particularly on HPM sources and phased arrays.Attached Files
Published - KARaipcp06.pdf
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 5349
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:KARaipcp06
- Created
-
2006-10-12Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
-
2023-06-01Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Series Name
- AIP Conference Proceedings
- Series Volume or Issue Number
- 830