Microscopic Approach to Analyze Solar-Sail Space-Environment Effects

TL;DR

This paper presents a detailed microscopic analysis of how solar radiation and space-environment effects impact metallic thin-film and hollow-body solar sails, focusing on material interactions, temperature effects, and potential mitigation strategies.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive microscopic model of solar-sail interactions with space environment particles and radiation, considering high-energy effects and material responses.

Findings

High-energy photons and particles make beryllium sails mostly transparent.

Sail materials are partially ionized by solar UV and electrons.

Electrostatic pressure may require mitigation due to temperature effects.

Abstract

Near-sun space-environment effects on metallic thin films solar sails as well as hollow-body sails with inflation fill gas are considered. Analysis of interaction of the solar radiation with the solar sail materials is presented. This analysis evaluates worst-case solar radiation effects during solar-radiation-pressure acceleration. The dependence of the thickness of solar sail on temperature and on wavelength of the electromagnetic spectrum of solar radiation is investigated. Physical processes of the interaction of photons, electrons, protons and helium nuclei with sail material atoms and nuclei, and inflation fill gas molecules are analyzed. Calculations utilized conservative assumptions with the highest values for the available cross sections for interactions of solar photons, electrons and protons with atoms, nuclei and hydrogen molecules. It is shown that for high-energy photons, electrons and protons the beryllium sail is mostly transparent. Sail material will be partially ionized by solar UV and low-energy solar electrons. For a hollow-body photon sail effects including hydrogen diffusion through the solar sail walls, and electrostatic pressure is considered. Electrostatic pressure caused by the electrically charged sail's electric field may require mitigation since sail material tensile strength decreases with elevated temperature.