Electromagnetic extraction and annihilation of antiprotons for spacecraft propulsion
Name
309350315-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
20.44 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
1454420a5d5381fe03f9662752b4ff6a
Author(s)
Zayas, Daniel Antonio
Advisor(s)
Raymond J. Sedwick and James A. Bickford.
Date Issued
2008
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
A novel concept for the extraction and long-term trapping of antiprotons from planetary magnetospheres is developed. The excitation via rotating magnetic field of an electron population within a distributed neutral plasma is shown to produce a large-scale magnetic field approximating a dipole with r-² or slower decay. These shallow field gradients are, in turn, found to suppress the natural tendency of the magnetic dipole field to shield against incident particle fluxes. Particle transport and plasma interaction models are developed and used to compare collection performance against various electrostatic and magnetostatic collection systems. Baseline system architectures are presented, and antiproton collection rates on the order of nanograms per day are estimated, far exceeding current Earth-based production rates. To demonstrate the performance potential of antiproton fuels for spacecraft propulsion, a modified rocket equation with relativistic corrections and variable mass-energy conversion efficiency is derived. Antimatter engines operating via the catalysis of nuclear fission in a fissile material by antiprotons are found to be three to four (3 - 4) times more efficient than traditional proton-antiproton annihilation or "beam-core" engines, and vastly more efficient than conventional chemical and electric propulsion systems. Baseline architectures for various missions are presented.
Description
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2008.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 85-87).
Subjects
Aeronautics and Astronautics.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
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