Radiation-to-Kinetic Energy Conversion in Open Space: A Comparative Analysis of Propulsion Mechanisms

This work presents a comparative analysis of propulsion systems based on the conversion of radiation and energetic fluxes into spacecraft kinetic energy. The study investigates: solar photon sails, photovoltaic ion propulsion, RTG-powered ion systems, Kilopower nuclear reactor propulsion, magnetic sails, laser sails, cosmic ray interactions, cosmic microwave background radiation. The work combines: analytical derivations, numerical verification using 4th-order Runge-Kutta integration, comparison with real mission data including IKAROS, Dawn, Cassini, Voyager, and Ulysses. Key results include: analytical derivation of the optimal solar sail angle, proof that the dimensionless acceleration parameter β remains constant with heliocentric distance, derivation of an analytical law for z-excursion growth, comparison of propulsion efficiency regimes across heliocentric distances, evaluation of unusable radiation sources for propulsion. The archive includes: full manuscript, reproducible Python calculations, Jupyter notebook, numerical dataset. Status: hypothesis with numerical verification.The work is not experimentally validated beyond comparison with existing mission data. This work is an independent exploratory preprint developed with AI assistance.It is intended as an honest attempt to examine a hypothesis. Errors in formulations, assumptions, calculations, or interpretations may remain. Comments, critiques, and independent reviews are welcome:[email protected]