Positive‑Energy Metric Engineering — A Roadmap from Photonic Sails to Positive‑Energy Metric Perturbations

This white paper proposes a staged, experimentally grounded roadmap from near-term photonic sails to long-term positive-energy metric perturbations.Stage I details a bench protocol for clean radiation-pressure thrust using CNT/graphite films, radiative insulation (porous SiO₂/aerogel), and lock-in force demodulation on a torsion pendulum—including full error budgets and thermal controls (IR imaging, dry-box/vacuum).Stage II introduces a small optical flux-redirection swarm (“Dyson-Spire”) that steers sunlight/laser light to a target to provide continuous pressure/power; we specify control KPIs (sustained flux-gain ≥×2–×5 on ground) and safety/ITU guardrails.Stage III frames a positive-energy metric-perturbation experiment via EM energy storage (ring/lattice) and upper-bound metrology using optical clocks / atom interferometers—explicitly no superluminal claims. The repo includes: equations for radiation pressure and thermal balance, KCR magneto-optic sensing formulas (Faraday rotation, LoD), ready-to-run CSV/JSON schemas, acceptance KPIs, and minimal BOMs/CAD to replicate P0/P1. The aim is to enable immediate publication-grade results (clean thrust vs power; flux-gain demo; ENZ analog mapping) and to seed a transparent pathway toward high-energy-density metric studies under established physics.