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Journal Articles South African Journal of Science Year : 2006

Laser propulsion activity in South Africa

Abstract

Three sets of laser propulsion experiments have been conducted in South Africa. The first, on the MLIS kilowatt CO2 laser at Pelindaba, gave a surprisingly good result but could not be repeated after the laser chain was dismantled when South Africa's uranium isotope programme was closed. The second, conducted with a kilowatt CO2 laser module, produced unexpectedly weak propulsion. We give reasons for the discrepancy between the two experiments. In the third experiment, hybrid solar and laser propulsion was tested: laser momentum coupling was enhanced as a result of generation of a dusty plasma by the concentrated solar energy.
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Dates and versions

hal-03543745 , version 1 (26-01-2022)

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  • HAL Id : hal-03543745 , version 1

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M M Michaelis, A Forbes, W Klopper, Hassan Bencherif, S Jolivet, et al.. Laser propulsion activity in South Africa. South African Journal of Science, 2006, 102. ⟨hal-03543745⟩
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