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

Jadon Y. Lin; Liam van Ravenstein; C. Martijn de Sterke; Michael S. Wheatland; Alex Y. Song; Boris T. Kuhlmey

doi:10.1103/f6h2-9ql5

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

Jadon Y. Lin ^*, Liam van Ravenstein ^*, and C. Martijn de Sterke

Michael S. Wheatland

Alex Y. Song

Boris T. Kuhlmey ^†

School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia and Institute of Photonics and Optical Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia

School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia

Institute of Photonics and Optical Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia, and The University of Sydney Nano Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia

School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia and Institute of Photonics and Optical Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia, and The University of Sydney Nano Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia

^*These authors contributed equally to this work.
^†Contact author: boris.kuhlmey@sydney.edu.au

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Phys. Rev. Applied 26, 034069 – Published 29 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/f6h2-9ql5

Abstract

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 with plane-mirror sails. Over the full operating band for $0.2 c$ missions, it is several times larger, while over narrow wavelength bands, the enhancement is by 3 orders of magnitude. Therefore, relativistic effects can, in principle, provide comprehensive and realistic control over lightsail motion.

Physical Review Applied

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

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

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