A Particle System Approach To Designing A Stable Lab-Scale Lightsail

Abstract

This paper presents the design of a lab-scale silicon nitride photonic crystal lightsail, demonstrating the LightSailSim software package. LightSailSim, an open-source analysis pipeline, integrates a custom mechanical solver based on a particle system model with optical simulation results. The resulting design balances dynamic and structural stability with propulsive performance. It consists of an optimised photonic crystal that provides a suitable trade-off between stability and propulsive force. The sail is suspended at its edges by a circular ring made of silicon, providing sufficient boundary tension to prevent sail deformation-induced instability. The design is made such that it can be produced from a single silicon wafer and levitated using a single 400 W laser.