Anomalous reflection of sunlight for solar sailing
Phys. Rev. Applied 25, 044034 – Published 14 April, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/5kc3-jxwr
Abstract
Efficiently harnessing solar radiation pressure holds great promise for solar sailing, potentially revolutionizing deep space exploration with fast, low-cost, sunlight-propelled probes. However, conventional solar sails reflect light specularly, with radiation pressure forces normal to the sail surface. Here, we explore metasurface reflect arrays that allow for efficiently imparting in-plane radiation pressure forces under ambient sunlight. We show that segmented tapered patch nanoantenna metasurfaces are well suited for ultrawideband, polarization-insensitive anomalous reflection of sunlight. Theoretical studies show >60% anomalous reflection over a 400-nm band across a larger part of the solar spectrum. The calculated efficiency for generating in-plane radiation pressure force is approximately 50%. As one example scenario, we discuss solar sail spin control with such anomalous metasurfaces. Beyond space exploration, we envision that anomalous reflection of ambient sunlight will find use in solar concentration and energy harvesting, spectrum splitting, or even display technologies.
