Proceedings of the Foundations for Interstellar Studies Workshop New York City, 13 – 15 June 2017 Edited by Kelvin F. Long Organised by the Institute for Interstellar Studies (USA) and City Tech City University New York Copyright Statement © 2017 The papers shown in this document remain the copyright property of the individual authors and nobody may use them in other published material without those authors permission. 2 Preface This document contains the written proceedings for the Foundations of Interstellar Studies workshop that took place in New York 13-15 June 2015. This was a scientific technical meeting organised between the Institute for Interstellar Studies (a US based not-for-profit) and City University New York. The event was also sponsored by Stellar Engines Ltd and the Breakthrough Initiatives. Post-workshop, a total of eighteen papers were written up and submitted to the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. This includes in volume 71 of the journal, published during 2018 as special interstellar studies red covers which included: First Step on the Interstellar Journey: The Solar Gravity Lens Focus, L. Friedman et al. Experimental Simulation of Dust Impacts at Starflight Velocities, A. J. Higgins. Plasma Dynamics in Firefly’s Z-Pinch Fusion Engine, R. M. Freeland. Gram-Scale Nano-Spacecraft Entry into Star Systems, A. A. Jackson. The Interstellar Fusion Fuel Resource Base of Our Solar System, R. G. Kennedy. Tests of Fundamental Physics in Interstellar Flight, R. Kezerashvili. Effects of Enhanced Graphene Reflection on the Performance of Sun-Launched Interstellar Arks, G. L. Matloff. Heat Transfer in Fusion Starship, Radiation Shielding Systems, Michel Lamontagne. Solar System Escape Mission with Solar Sail Spacecraft within a Framework of Post-Newtonian Gravitational Theory, Olga L Starinova and Irina V Gorbunova1. The organisers of the Foundations of Interstellar Studies workshop waited for some time so that the papers could be published in the journal first, but due to the long duration of submission to publish time, we decided to move ahead and show the papers in their original form as submitted to the journal in these official proceedings. This document therefore represents a scientific record of this meeting. In these proceedings, we have attempted to style all of the papers for similar consistency where possible, whilst not taking away from the format intentions of the authors. In addition, not all of the presenting authors at the workshop decided to submit a paper post-meeting, so we have included just their abstract. Finally, some of the presenters were last minute inclusions in the workshop, and for those we did not even have an abstract, although they do have a presence in these proceedings. The proceedings represent the papers presented over the three days of the meeting in three sessions. This included on the themes of (1) Energetic Reactions Engines (2) Sails and Beams (3) Breakthrough Propulsion. These are quite broad areas. During later workshop meetings, we would hope to narrow some of these subjects to more specific questions so as to facilitate more progress. We hope that the papers in these proceedings serve to education, inspire and move the field of interstellar studies forward so that as the progress in science matures, so too will the possibility of achieving the ultimate vision; sending spacecraft to other star systems. 1st March 2019 1 This paper was selected and scheduled for the June 2017 meeting, however the authors were not able to attend and the paper was never presented. However, the authors later submitted the paper to JBIS anyway and it was later published (volume 71, issue 12, December 2018). Although it does not appear in these proceedings of the meeting, it is mentioned here. 3 Contents Page Participating Institutions 6 Welcome from the Chairman at Event 7 Introduction 8 Session 1: Energetic Reaction Engines 9 1. The Fusion Fuel Resource Based of our Solar System, Robert G Kennedy III 10 2. Heat Transfer in Fusion Starship Radiation Shielding Systems, Michel Lamontagne 22 3. Plasma Dynamics in Firefly’s Z-Pinch Fusion Engine, Robert Freeland 35 4. Continuous Electrode Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion, Raymond J Sedwick, 46 Andrew M Chap and Nathan M Schilling 5. Direct Fusion Drive for Interstellar Exploration, Samuel Cohen, C Swanson, N 56 McGreivy et al, 6. High Beta Cusp Confinement: A Path to Compact Fusion, Regina Sullivan 76 7. Positron Propulsion for Interplanetary and Interstellar Travel, Ryan Weed 77 8. Combined Thermal Desorption and Electrical Propulsion of Sailcraft using Space 87 Environmental Effect, Elena Ancona and Roman Ya Kezerashvili Session 2: Sails and Beams 89 1. Solar Sail Propulsion: A Roadmap from Today’s Technology to Interstellar Sailships, 90 Edward E Montgomery and Les Johnson 2. Enabling the First Generation of Interstellar Missions, Philip M Lubin 91 3. The Andromeda Study: A Femto-Spacecraft Mission to Alpha Centauri, Andreas M 93 Hein et, Kelvin F Long, Dan Fries et al., 4. Reflective Control Devices for Attitude Control of Solar Sails, Jeremy Munday 139 5. Effects of Enhanced Graphene Reflection on Performance of Sun-Launched 141 Interstellar Arks, Gregory L Matloff 6. Gram-Scale Nano-Spacecraft Entry into Star Systems, A. A Jackson 145 4 7. Rigid Light Sail Dynamics and Control for Launch and Acceleration Using Controlled 153 Optical Metamaterials, Eric T Malroy 8. The Prediction of Particle Bombardment Interaction Physics due to Ions, Electrons 154 and Dust in the Interstellar Medium on a Gram-Scale Interstellar Probe, Kelvin F Long 9. Experimental Simulation of Dust Impacts at Starflight Velocities, Andrew J Higgins 170 Session 3: Breakthrough Propulsion 184 1. Pilot Wave Model for Impulsive Thrust from RF Test Device Measured in Vacuum, 185 Harold G White, James Lawrence, Andre Sylvester et al., 2. Mach Effect Gravitational Assist Drive, Heidi Fearn, J. J. A. Rodal and J. F. Woodward 197 3. Entanglement and Chameleon Acceleration, Glen A Robertson 217 4. Tests of Fundamental Physics in Interstellar Flight, Roman Ya Kezerashvili 240 5. Breakthrough Propulsion Capability Development Strategy, Ron Litchford 248 6. Self-Sustained Traversable Wormholes and Casimir Energy, Remo Garattini 249 7. Human Exploration of the Solar System as a Precursor to Interstellar Travel: Outlook 260 and Realities, Ralph L McNutt Jr 8. The Equivalence of Internal and External Energy Source Interpretations of the 262 Casimir Effect and their Implications for Interstellar Travel, Robert L DeBiase 9. First Stop on the Interstellar Journey: The Solar Gravity Lens Focus, Louis Friedman 278 and Slava G. Turyshev Poster Presentations 1. Mach Effects for In-Space Propulsion: An Interstellar Mission, Heidi Fearn et al 286 2. Continuous Electrode Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion, Raymond Sedwick 287 et al 3. A Bussard Ramjet with Twist and Flare, Pete N Ness 288 4. Fostering Breakthroughs in Interstellar Propulsion, John G Hartley 289 5. Reflective Control Devices for Attitude Control of Solar Sails, Jeremy N Munday et al 290 6. The Equivalence of Internal and External Energy Source Interpretations of the 291 Casimir Effect, Robert L DeBiase 5 Participating Institutions The following organisations and institutions were represented at the meeting or were involved in the meeting such as through sponsorship. Their participation is acknowledged here. Breakthrough Initiatives, USA British Interplanetary Society, UK California Institute of Technology, USA California State University Fullerton, USA City York City College of Technology, USA Harvard Club of New York City, USA Harvard University, USA Icarus Interstellar, USA Initiative for Interstellar Studies, UK Institute for Interstellar Studies, USA GA Research LLC, USA Johns Hopkins University, USA Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, USA Lunar and Planetary Institute, USA McGill University, Canada MontTech LLC, USA NASA Headquarters, USA NASA Johnson Space Center, USA Positron Dynamics Inc, USA Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, USA Samara National Research University, USA Stellar Engines Ltd, UK Tennessee Valley Interstellar Workshop, USA Texas A&M University, USA The Planetary Society, USA University of Bergamo, Italy University California Santa Barbara, USA University of Maryland, USA 6 Welcome from the Chairman at Event Dear Participants, Welcome to the Foundations of Interstellar Studies workshop on Interstellar flight at City University New York. This event has been a joint collaboration between City Tech and the Institute for Interstellar Studies. Over the next few days you will hear many interesting physics and engineering talks which are relevant to the challenges of interstellar travel. Our goal, is to facilitate interactions through informal conversations and bring people together to discuss current problems in the hope that some solutions can be realized, or future research directions planned. The nearest star system is the Centauri A/B and Proxima Centauri system. Alpha Centauri A, also known as Rigil Kentaurus, is the primary member of the binary system that is around ten percent larger and more luminous than the Sun. Alpha Centauri B is its companion star, smaller and less luminous than the Sun with a mass ten percent less than the Sun. Proxima Centauri, is a small main sequence star, with a mass of around an eighth the mass of the Sun. These make up our closes star system that in the future we may be able to visit using technologies not yet invented. Since 1988 we have discovered over 3,000 exoplanets in over 2,700 planetary systems. This has been mainly due to the success of programs like the Kepler Space Telescope using techniques such as the radial velocity and transit methods. Now that we know there are many star systems we could visit, this opens up the possibility of life existing there too. The only way to find out, is to build robotic spacecraft and send them there to conduct in-situ reconnaissance. Then, sometime later, human exploration and colony ships will likely follow. In the pursuit of this we will surely make many discoveries, but also ensure the survival of our species as we diffuse through the galaxy.