期刊
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
卷 848, 期 1, 页码 -出版社
IOP PUBLISHING LTD
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aa8c73
关键词
interplanetary medium; ISM: magnetic fields; relativistic processes; space vehicles
资金
- Breakthrough Prize Foundation
- National Research Council of Science & Technology (NST), Republic of Korea [2017186701] Funding Source: Korea Institute of Science & Technology Information (KISTI), National Science & Technology Information Service (NTIS)
A relativistic spacecraft of the type envisioned by the Breakthrough Starshot initiative will inevitably become charged through collisions with interstellar particles and UV photons. Interstellar magnetic fields would therefore deflect the trajectory of the spacecraft. We calculate the expected deflection for typical interstellar conditions. We also find that the charge distribution of the spacecraft is asymmetric, producing an electric dipole moment. The interaction between the moving electric dipole and the interstellar magnetic field is found to produce a large torque, which can result in fast oscillation of the spacecraft around the axis perpendicular to the direction of motion, with a period of similar to 0.5 hr. We then study the spacecraft rotation arising from impulsive torques by dust bombardment. Finally, we discuss the effect of the spacecraft rotation and suggest several methods to mitigate it.
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