The German physicist decided to help the masterminds behind the Breakthrough Starshot initiative, which involves sending a fleet of mini-ships to the Alpha Centauri system. The scientist proposed to equip such devices with magnetic sails.
Breakthrough Starshot is a research and development project within the Breakthrough Initiatives program. This project involves the creation of an entire fleet of miniature StarChip spaceships, which should go to the nearest star system Alpha Centauri. The latter is 4.37 light years from the Sun. They want to accelerate spacecraft using super-powerful lasers aimed at their special sails. It is assumed that the ships will be able to gain up to 20% of the speed of light, so the journey will take approximately 20 years. It will take another five years for the earthlings to receive the first information.
So far, the Breakthrough Starshot project has many aspects that scientists have yet to work out. In particular, it is not entirely clear how the StarChip can be "slowed down" when it reaches the Alpha Centauri system. German physicist Claudius Gros, representing the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Frankfurt, presented his opinion on this matter to the Journal of Physics Communications.
StarChip / aftershock
The scientist proposed to use, in addition to everything, a magnetic sail - a giant filament made of superconducting material, the length of which can be 50 km or more. The magnetic sail will be attached to the spacecraft using special ropes and will be located behind it. Such a filament will generate a powerful magnetic field, which will collide with hydrogen ions contained in the interstellar medium and in planetary systems, due to which the deceleration of the spacecraft will be achieved. It will be possible to reduce the speed quickly enough in case of using a magnetic sail. Importantly, the described concept, according to the physicist, can also be applied to decelerate larger spaceships.
Comparative sizes of the components of the α Centauri system and the Sun / wikipedia
The scientist himself, however, admits that his idea cannot be implemented at the present time, since with the density of existing materials, the weight of a 50-km-long sail will be about a thousand tons. In addition, the researcher proposes to consider an alternative target of the StarChip flight - a single star in the constellation of Aquarius TRAPPIST-1. It is located, however, much further from us than the Alpha Centauri system. TRAPPIST-1 is 39 light years distant from the star.
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