Fundamental Architecture and Analysis of Ramjet Propulsion System Utilizing In-Situ Laser Derived Antimatter

摘要

Recent experiments incorporating the Titan laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have generated antimatter. The Titan laser intensity is on the scale of ~10~(20)W/cm~2 using a pulse of ~lps generating approximately 2*10~(10) positrons/second. The generation of antimatter for the respective scenario involves electrons interacting with the nuclei through high-energy bremsstrahlung photons yielding electron-positron pairs based on the Bethe-Heitler process. Previous research by Phipps has advocated laser propulsion. The architecture for ramjet propulsion using in-situ laser derived antimatter is proposed. A series of laser systems on the scale of the Titan laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory generate antimatter by striking a gold target for subsequent annihilation, which heats the flow internal to the ramjet. The fundamental architecture and analysis of the ramjet propulsion system utilizing in-situ laser derived antimatter is preliminarily defined through the assumptions of an ideal ramjet.