Review on Japanese-German-U.S. Cooperation on Laser-Ablation Propulsion

Abstract

We report on an international cooperation between Nagoya University (NU), Japan and DLR Stuttgart, Germany on scaling issues in laser ablative propulsion. Lessons learned from collaborative work in the laboratory will be summarized with respect to the comparability of experimental methods and corresponding standardization issues. With the background of previous experimental research at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), experimental work with CO 2 lasers in a moderate (NU) and high (DLR) pulse energy range on laser ablation of POM is presented. Pro¿lometry results of target surfaces are compared with Àuence distributions from beam propagation modeling. Ablation from Àat targets is reported with respect to energy and area scaling and compared with results from ablative propulsion employing parabolic nozzles.

Study of laser induced dynamics on macroscopic mirror

“…However, compared to microscopic targets, laser dynamics on macroscopic targets cannot neglect the thermal effect in dynamic simulations, especially for pulsed-laser irradiation. Macroscopic mirrors with a large ratio of radius to thickness could be the ideal optical force sensor because of its dynamic features which enable easier observation compared to a cantilever [34] or rod [35].…”