Would a time-revering (or phase conjugate) mirror make a good light sail?
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In hard science fiction and speculative essays, we hear of light sails being driven by home-based lasers.
Would a time reversal mirror make a more efficent sail? I’m thinking that the light (and energy) could be recirculated to continue to power the laser. That is, the beam once generated with an initial power cost would bounce back and forth between the stationary emitter and the driven sail, imparting momentum on each bounce.
Would a time reversal mirror make a more efficent sail? I’m thinking that the light (and energy) could be recirculated to continue to power the laser. That is, the beam once generated with an initial power cost would bounce back and forth between the stationary emitter and the driven sail, imparting momentum on each bounce.
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find two perfectly reflective surfaces, then sure - if the light could go elsewhere, they wouldn't perfectly reflective, would they? Unfortunately, there are no perfectlyreflective things in nature.
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