12-03, 11:00–11:20 (Europe/Luxembourg), Banquet Room
The Starshot Breakthrough Initiative aims to send one-gram microchip probes to Alpha Centauri within 20 years, using gram-scale lightsails propelled by laser-based radiation pressure, reaching velocities nearing a fifth of light speed. This mission requires lightsail materials that challenge the fundamentals of nanotechnology, requiring innovations in optics, material science and structural engineering. Unlike the microchip payload, which must be minimized in every dimension, such lightsails need meter-scale dimensions with nanoscale thickness and billions of nanoscale holes to enhance reflectivity and reduce mass. Our study employs neural topology optimization, revealing a novel pentagonal lattice-based photonic crystal (PhC) reflector. The optimized designs shorten acceleration times, therefore lowering launch costs significantly. Crucially, these designs also enable lightsail material fabrication with orders-of-magnitude reduction in costs. We have fabricated a 60 x60 mm2, 200 nm thick, single-layer reflector perforated with over a billion nanoscale features; the highest aspect-ratio nanophotonic element to date. We achieve this with nearly 9,000 times cost reduction per m2. Starshot lightsails will have several stringent requirements but will ultimately be driven by costs to build at scale. Here we highlight challenges and possible solutions in developing lightsail materials - showcasing the potential of scaling nanophotonics for cost-effective next-generation space exploration.
Richard Alexander Norte is a faculty member at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands. His research group develops cutting-edge nanotechnologies for quantum hardware, focusing on optical metasurfaces and nanomechanics. Richard holds dual BSc degrees in Physics and Mathematics from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Physics from Caltech.
Since joining TU Delft, his work has been featured in Nature, Nature Photonics, Science, Physical Review Letters, and on the cover of Scientific American. He was recently awarded a €2.5 million ERC Starting Grant—one of Europe’s most prestigious personal grants—to advance next-generation laser sails for interstellar exploration.
His team has achieved significant breakthroughs in laser sail nano-manufacturing, reducing fabrication times from 15 years to a single day by integrating nanophotonics, fabrication techniques, and economic considerations of the Starshot mission. These innovations and expertise position his lab as a global leader in the pursuit of practical materials for laser-based interstellar travel.