Laser Propulsion Science and Technology

Dear Colleagues,

Laser propulsion is an emerging field that promises breakthroughs for various unique propulsion needs if the special challenges of using lasers to produce impulses can be overcome. Some examples of such challenges include beam divergence, coupling to remote targets, heat accumulation, the physics of short-pulse laser-material interaction, and, broadly, the fundamental physics governing laser-material interactions, which is still incompletely understood.

Laser technology has advanced significantly in the past decade, with novel high-power lasers and the development of the science of massive laser arrays, which may support fielded laser propulsion missions and applications. Some examples of such applications include interplanetary propulsion, interstellar propulsion, laser thrusters, laser tractor beams, and laser removal of orbital debris.

This Special Issue of Aerospace will cover recent experimental, theoretical, and computational work on the use of lasers to produce thrust or impulse, focusing on the fundamental science of laser propulsion and related space technology applications.

The editor of this Special Issue invites papers describing chemical, engineering, physics, or other practical issues of laser propulsion science and technology.

Dr. John Sinko
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the Special Issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Aerospace is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.