A Linear Photonic Thrust Model and its Application to the L'Garde Solar Sail Surface

Abstract

Some representative options for solar radiation force modeling are reviewed. Chosen as preferred is one achieving a good compromise of accuracy and engineering convenience. Namely, the contributions of diffuse reflectance and of thermal emittance (the former augmenting, the latter normally counteracting the thrust) are dropped from the standard model. The resulting law, referred to here as the linear photonic thrust model, is governed by two complementary optical parameters that, for common surfaces, are trivially interdependent with a simple linear relationship. This model is subsequently used to solve the contour geometry of the surface troughs of the L'Garde solar sail architecture. In the special case when, simplistically, photonic pressure is assumed to be normal to the surface, the trough contour is shown to take the classic catenary (cosh) shape. In the general case when a surface tangential thrust component also arises, the solution which still remains very close to the hyperbolic cosine curve is given in a polynomial form.

Nonlinear static analysis-based thrust for solar sail

“…9 Some scholars merely studied how the optical parameters impact on the thrust, and how the corresponding modified thrust impacts on the orbit. Greschik 10 gives a linear photonic thrust model by dropping contributions of diffuse reflectance and thermal emittance from the standard model. And the resulting law governed by two complementary optical parameters is interdependent with a linear relationship.…”

“…Among these above-mentioned contributions concerning the thrust model of solar sail, some papers [10][11][12][13] considered that the thrust is merely determined by the optical parameters. However, it is deeply affected by the deformed shape of the sail.…”