Experimenting on semiconductors using ablative laser propulsion to investigate propulsion parameters

Abstract

A laser can be used to propel distant objects. The ability of silicon to produce thrust and its propulsive parameters are needed to be studied in ablative laser propulsion (ALP). In this work, pure silicon and silicon doped with indium were subjected to ALP to achieve the momentum coupling coefficient and specific impulse to investigate its worth as a propellant. The experiment was conducted using the Nd:YAG laser (Quantel Brilliant) operating at fundamental harmonic (λ = 1064 nm and 5 ns pulse duration). In the given range of fluence, 1 × 105–5 × 105 J/m2, no significant difference among both samples for values of momentum coupling coefficient (Cm) and specific impulse (Isp) is observed; for instance, both propellants follow a decreasing trend for Cm. However, maximum enhancement for Cm and Isp is observed with a cavity aspect ratio of one. Cm and Isp are enhanced about 1.75 and 4.5 times, respectively, for pure silicon. The external cavity does not have any impact on Cm values for indium-doped silicon while values of Isp showed considerable enhancement.