Experimental demonstration of tractor millimeter wave beam propulsion
Abstract Tractor millimeter-wave beam propulsion (TMiP), which obtains a propulsive force by receiving a high-power tractor beam from the front side of the vehicle, was proposed for space missions such as rocket launches from Earth and planetary takeoff missions. A beam irradiation experiment with a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02791-5 |
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| author | Masayuki Takahashi Toshiki Yamada Ryutaro Minami Tsuyoshi Kariya Kohei Shimamura |
| author_facet | Masayuki Takahashi Toshiki Yamada Ryutaro Minami Tsuyoshi Kariya Kohei Shimamura |
| author_sort | Masayuki Takahashi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Tractor millimeter-wave beam propulsion (TMiP), which obtains a propulsive force by receiving a high-power tractor beam from the front side of the vehicle, was proposed for space missions such as rocket launches from Earth and planetary takeoff missions. A beam irradiation experiment with a gyrotron device was conducted for a model rocket with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) lens to collect the tractor beam power, facilitating gas breakdown and plasma generation at the focal point. A high-pressure gas was formed via plasma heating, interacting with the PTFE lens mounted on the front of the vehicle and generating a propulsive force for rocket launching. A parametric study was conducted by changing the pulse width, which showed that the maximum thrust performance was achieved when the plasma front propagating toward the beam source did not protrude from the air-breathing intake at the front of the vehicle. Additionally, computational simulations for electromagnetic wave propagation and compressible fluid dynamics indicated that the thrust performance could be improved by decreasing the rocket diameter due to shock wave concentration. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5b734cb5f52f467d89ffb3a72c72d92e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-5b734cb5f52f467d89ffb3a72c72d92e2025-08-20T02:34:17ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-05-0115111610.1038/s41598-025-02791-5Experimental demonstration of tractor millimeter wave beam propulsionMasayuki Takahashi0Toshiki Yamada1Ryutaro Minami2Tsuyoshi Kariya3Kohei Shimamura4Department of Aerospace Engineering, Tohoku UniversityDepartment of Aerospace Engineering, Tohoku UniversityPlasma Research Center, University of TsukubaPlasma Research Center, University of TsukubaDepartment of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Tokyo Metropolitan UniversityAbstract Tractor millimeter-wave beam propulsion (TMiP), which obtains a propulsive force by receiving a high-power tractor beam from the front side of the vehicle, was proposed for space missions such as rocket launches from Earth and planetary takeoff missions. A beam irradiation experiment with a gyrotron device was conducted for a model rocket with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) lens to collect the tractor beam power, facilitating gas breakdown and plasma generation at the focal point. A high-pressure gas was formed via plasma heating, interacting with the PTFE lens mounted on the front of the vehicle and generating a propulsive force for rocket launching. A parametric study was conducted by changing the pulse width, which showed that the maximum thrust performance was achieved when the plasma front propagating toward the beam source did not protrude from the air-breathing intake at the front of the vehicle. Additionally, computational simulations for electromagnetic wave propagation and compressible fluid dynamics indicated that the thrust performance could be improved by decreasing the rocket diameter due to shock wave concentration.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02791-5Millimeter-wave beamPlasmaBeamed energy propulsion |
| spellingShingle | Masayuki Takahashi Toshiki Yamada Ryutaro Minami Tsuyoshi Kariya Kohei Shimamura Experimental demonstration of tractor millimeter wave beam propulsion Scientific Reports Millimeter-wave beam Plasma Beamed energy propulsion |
| title | Experimental demonstration of tractor millimeter wave beam propulsion |
| title_full | Experimental demonstration of tractor millimeter wave beam propulsion |
| title_fullStr | Experimental demonstration of tractor millimeter wave beam propulsion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Experimental demonstration of tractor millimeter wave beam propulsion |
| title_short | Experimental demonstration of tractor millimeter wave beam propulsion |
| title_sort | experimental demonstration of tractor millimeter wave beam propulsion |
| topic | Millimeter-wave beam Plasma Beamed energy propulsion |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02791-5 |
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