arXiv subjects

Jadon Y. Lin

Publications and source records attributed to Jadon Y. Lin.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Radiation-pressure-induced non-Hermitian skin effect in elastic membranes

We show that optical forces perpendicular to the direction of the incident light, generated on structures with asymmetric optical scattering, can manipulate longitudinal elastic waves traveling in that same perpendicular direction. When the radiation pressure acts unidirectionally, reciprocity and hence Newton's Third Law are effectively broken. As a result, the waves grow exponentially with position, an instance of the non-Hermitian skin effect. The effect can be enhanced by orders of magnitude to measurable scales in optically dispersive nanostructured membranes. These findings are particularly relevant in the context of lightsails, spacecraft propelled by radiation pressure from high-power lasers. Our discovery showcases a new interaction between radiation pressure and elastic waves, which taps into the rich field of non-Hermitian physics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Asymptotic stability of laser-driven lightsails: Enhancement by optical dispersion engineering in gratings

Lightsails are promising spacecraft that can traverse interstellar distances within decades via radiation-pressure propulsion from high-power lasers. The envisioned missions crucially rely on the sail being confined within the propelling laser beam, requiring restoring and damping mechanisms for both translational and rotational degrees of freedom. Here, we use a two-dimensional rigid model to show that full asymptotic stability of planar nanophotonic sails can be achieved through purely optical, relativistic forces and torques, which damp all unstable degrees of freedom. By judiciously optimizing the angular and frequency dispersion of diffraction gratings, we find that damping can be substantially enhanced compared to plane-mirror sails. Over the full operating band for $0.2c$ missions it is several times larger, while over narrow wavelength bands, the enhancement is by three orders of magnitude. Therefore, relativistic effects can, in principle, provide comprehensive and realistic control over lightsail motion.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Photonic Lightsails: Fast and Stable Propulsion for Interstellar Travel

Lightsails are a highly promising spacecraft concept that has attracted interest in recent years due to its potential to travel at near-relativistic speeds. Such speeds, which current conventional crafts cannot reach, offer tantalizing opportunities to probe nearby stellar systems within a human lifetime. Recent advancements in photonics and metamaterials have created novel solutions to challenges in propulsion and stability facing lightsail missions. This review introduces the physical principles underpinning lightsail spacecrafts and discusses how photonics coupled with inverse design substantially enhance lightsail performance compared to plain reflectors. These developments pave the way through a previously inaccessible frontier of space exploration.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

All-optical damping forces enhanced by metasurfaces for stable relativistic lightsail propulsion

Lightsails are a promising spacecraft concept that can reach relativistic speeds via propulsion by laser light, allowing travel to nearby stars within a human lifetime. The success of a lightsail mission requires that any motion in the plane transverse to the propagation direction is bounded and damped for the entire acceleration phase. Here, we demonstrate that a previously unappreciated relativistic force, which generalizes the Poynting-Robertson effect, can passively damp this transverse motion. We show that this purely optical effect can be enhanced by two orders of magnitude compared to plane mirror sails by judicious design of the scattering response. We thus demonstrate that exploiting relativistic effects may be a practical means to control the motion of lightsails.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2024

Poynting-Robertson damping of laser beam driven lightsails

Lightsails using Earth-based lasers for propulsion require passive stabilization to stay within the beam. This can be achieved through the sail's scattering properties, creating optical restoring forces and torques. Undamped restoring forces produce uncontrolled oscillations, which could jeopardize the mission, but it is not obvious how to achieve damping in the vacuum of space. Using a simple two-dimensional model we show that the Doppler effect and relativistic aberration of the propelling laser beam create damping terms in the optical forces and torques. The effect is similar to the Poynting-Robertson effect causing loss of orbital momentum of dust particles around stars, but can be enhanced by design of the sail's geometry.

physics.app-ph↗