From Rings to Belts: Radiation-Assisted Growth of Dyson Swarms

Incremental Dyson-swarm construction requires configurations that accommodate additional collecting area. This paper constructs a sequence of latitude belts while retaining earlier nominal trajectories and prescribed attitudes. Established ideal-specular solar-sail dynamics supplies circular support states at a common stellar distance. The known minimum-lightness envelope sets the latitude interval for unchanged hardware. Within this limit, a reserved lattice keeps finite reflectors separated and direct stellar rays unobstructed at every relative row phase, including rays from a finite stellar emitting region. Solid-angle bounds show that direct first-pass interception from a central isotropic point source increases with each addition. A solar example using systems of 30 g per square metre extends from an equatorial ring to one degree north and south, intercepting approximately 0.149 per cent of stellar luminosity. Its hardware permits ideal support to 1.158 degrees; the lattice reserves only one degree. These results establish compatible nominal stages under independent-force assumptions. Insertion, stability, useful power and engineering feasibility remain unresolved. Revision: 8 October 2026. This focused revision replaces the broader continuum presentation in the preceding version. The orbit family and optimal lightness envelope are inherited from prior work; the contribution is an explicit finite-size staged construction under stated ideal assumptions. The earlier low-latitude expression is a conservative screen, not the exact minimum-lightness envelope. A reproducibility archive accompanies the manuscript.