62

Photons have no mass but they can push things, as evidenced by laser propulsion.

Can photons push the source which is emitting them? If yes, will a more intense flashlight accelerate me more? Does the wavelength of the light matter? Is this practical for space propulsion? Doesn't it defy the law of momentum conservation?

Note: As John Rennie mentioned, all in all the wavelength doesn't matter, but for a more accurate answer regarding that, see the comments in DavePhD's answer .

Related Wikipedia articles: Ion thruster, Space propulsion

4 Answers4

73

Can photons push the source which is emitting them?

Yes.

If yes, will a more intense flashlight accelerate me more?

Yes

Does the wavelength of the light matter?

No

Is this practical for space propulsion?

Probably not

Doesn't it defy the law of momentum conservation?

No

In fact that last question is the key one, because photons do carry momentum (even though they have no mass). Photons, like all particles obey the relativistic equation:

$$ E^2= p^2c^2 + m^2c^4 $$

where for a photon the mass, $m$, is zero. That means the momentum of the photon is given by:

$$ p = \frac{E}{c} = \frac{h\nu}{c} $$

where $\nu$ is the frequency of the light. Let's suppose you have a flashlight that emits light with a power $W$ and a frequency $\nu$. The number of photons per second is the total power divided by the energy of a single photon:

$$ n = \frac{W}{h\nu} $$

The momentum change per second is the numbr of photons multiplied by the momentum of a single photon:

$$ P/sec = \frac{W}{h\nu} p = \frac{W}{h\nu} \frac{h\nu}{c} = \frac{W}{c} $$

But the rate of change of momentum is just the force, so we end up with an equation for the force created by your flashlight:

$$ F = \frac{W}{c} $$

Now you can see why I've answered your questions above as I have. The force is proportional to the flashlight power, but the frequency $\nu$ cancels out so the frequency of the light doesn't matter. Momentum is conserved because it's the momentum carried by the photons that creates the force.

As for powering spaceships, your 1W flashlight creates a force of about $3 \times 10^{-9}$ N. You'd need a staggeringingly intense light source to power a rocket.

John Rennie
  • 367,598
20

Can photons push the source which is emitting them?

Yes, photons have momentum and momentum must be conserved. The source is pushed in the opposite direction of the photons.

If yes, will a more intense flashlight accelerate me more?

Yes, more photons means greater momentum.

Does the wavelength of the light matter?

Yes, shorter wavelength photons have higher momentum. $p = h / \lambda $

Is this practical for space propulsion?

Possibly, see Prospective of Photon Propulsion for Interstellar Flight (or use Alternative download site for pre-print version ) The concept of photon recycling is considered, for a potential enhancement of thrust/power ratio by several orders of magnitude.

Doesn't it defy the law of momentum conservation?

No, photons have momentum in one direction, the source has momentum in the opposite direction, so momentum is conserved.

DavePhD
  • 16,314
4

This does not directly answer your question, but this is related. If you are floating in space the photons that hit you are also exerting a force. When you float in space a large number of photons emitted by the sun will hit you. These photons exert a force, this mechanism is referred to as radiation pressure. This force is significant enough that you can actually control a spacecraft with it.

NASA is doing that with the Kepler space telescope. The space telescope lost one of its reaction wheels. Reaction wheels are used to alter a spacecraft's orientation. With the remaining reaction wheels, the orientation of the telescope cannot be controlled with the accuracy needed for scientific missions. NASA devised a way to make use of the radiation pressure for controlling the spacecraft's orientation.

nobody
  • 119
Dohn Joe
  • 598
0

See Solar Sails http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_sail.

As other people have pointed out, this is extremely inefficient energy-wise, but has the advantage of being purely passive - no need to carry an energy source, and few or no moving parts to fail.

Ralph
  • 1