Hybrid Reflection/Transmission Diffraction Grating Solar Sail
Diffractive sail components may be used in part or whole for in-space propulsion and attitude control. A sun-facing hybrid diffractive solar sail having reflective front facets and transmissive side facets is described. This hybrid design seeks to minimize the undesirable scattering from side facets. Predictions of radiation pressure are compared for analytical geometrical optics and numerical finite difference time domain approaches. Our calculations across a spectral irradiance band from 0.5 to 3 μm suggest the transverse force in a sun facing configuration reaches 48% when the refractive index of the sail material is 1.5. Diffraction measurements at a representative optical wavelength of 633 nm support our predictions.
Authors
- Prateek R. Srivastava (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5046-0465)
- Qing X. Wang
- Grover A. Swartzlander (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3513-2225)
- Ryan M. Crum (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8473-5503)
- Tasso R. M. Sales
Institutions
- Rochester Institute of Technology (US)
- Viavi Solutions (United States) (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Photonics
- Published
- 2025-09-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12100972
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.95
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Johns Hopkins University
- Marshall Space Flight Center