4 ms·
Depends entirely on the power output of the laser, the dispersal length and the size, weight and reflectivity of the sail. Since we are already talking about im
by sigmoid10 1y ago
Depends entirely on the power output of the laser, the dispersal length and the size, weight and reflectivity of the sail. Since we are already talking about imaginary technology, any answer between "slower than current chemical rockets" and "some significant fraction of the speed of light" could be valid.
- kragen 1y agoI don't think that is correct. I think there's a rather disappointing limit on the acceleration a laser sail can reach with known materials.
- sigmoid10 1y agoYou explicitly asked for unknown materials. Because there is no known material because such a laser does not exist. We have solar sail prototypes that were using the sun's light, but even they are far off in terms of size/weight ratio and reflectivity.