Photon rocket propels spacecraft propelled by photon rocket, which was conceived by Sangl in the early 1950s. It is divided into three parts. In front is the cockpit where astronauts work and live. The middle part is the fuel tank. Behind it is the power part. Its main component is a huge concave mirror with an area of several tens of square meters. The photon generator pushes the spacecraft forward at high speed at the focus of the mirror.

So, where do photons come from? Matter is composed of atoms, which are composed of nuclei composed of protons and neutrons and extranuclear electrons. Different substances only have different numbers of protons, neutrons and electrons. For example, the hydrogen nucleus is a proton and the electrons are outside the nucleus; Helium nucleus consists of two protons, two neutrons and two electrons outside the nucleus. Particles such as protons, neutrons and electrons are collectively called subatomic particles. In 1930s and 1940s, scientists found that each subatomic particle has its corresponding antiparticle, such as antiproton, antineutron and antielectron. Positive particles make up positive matter, that is, all kinds of substances we contact every day, and antiparticles make up antimatter. So far, however, no natural antimatter has been found in the universe, and only a few particles can be produced in the high-energy nuclear physics laboratory.

Scientists believe that in the early days of the Big Bang, when matter was created by energy, positive matter and antimatter appeared in pairs. Contrary to this process, when positive matter and antimatter meet, they both disappear (scientifically called annihilation) to release photons, and at the same time release energy locked in matter. Sanger's photon rocket is thought to generate photons through the annihilation of protons and antiprotons, that is, hydrogen and antiprotons.

Anti-matter propulsion Humans can not only use the photons generated by the annihilation of positive and negative matter as the power of spacecraft, but also use the huge energy released by them to propel spacecraft. According to the calculation, a spaceship weighing 1 ton can be sent to proxima centauri at the speed of 10% as long as it heats 4 tons of liquid hydrogen with the energy generated by the annihilation of 9 kilograms of positive and negative hydrogen. Because of the annihilation of positive and negative matter, matter can be converted into energy 100%, while nuclear fission is only 0. 1% and nuclear fusion is only 0.7%. The rocket fuel derived from antimatter under development has an impulse ratio of 50000 ~ 65438+ million seconds, which is 5 ~ 50 times higher than that of ordinary rocket fuel.