Shkadov Mirror Standoff Distance Simulator
Trade study for Shkadov mirror (stellar engine) placement. Analyze the relationship between standoff distance, thrust output, equilibrium temperature, and material feasibility.
Mirror Parameters
Critical areal density (statite limit): 0.77 g/m² (0.77 g/m² = 0.00077 kg/m²)
Mirror is ABOVE the statite limit -- solar gravity exceeds radiation pressure. The mirror cannot hover freely; it requires active propulsion or orbital mechanics.
Shkadov Mirror Concept
A Shkadov thruster is a giant parabolic mirror that reflects sunlight asymmetrically, producing net thrust on the entire solar system.
At the statite limit, radiation pressure exactly balances solar gravity, allowing the mirror to hover without propulsion.
Closer distances yield more thrust but higher temperatures. The optimal standoff distance maximizes thrust while staying within material thermal limits.
Distance Trade Plot
Thrust and equilibrium temperature vs. standoff distance
Run trade study to see distance trade plot
Trade Study Results
Configure mirror parameters and run the trade study to see results.
Physics Methodology
This simulator sweeps the mirror standoff distance from 0.1 to 2.0 AU and evaluates the resulting thrust, equilibrium temperature, and material feasibility at each point.
- Thrust: F = 2 * (L_sun / 4pi*d^2) * A_mirror * reflectivity / c. Closer distances give higher solar flux but the mirror area for a given coverage fraction is smaller (A = coverage * 4pi*d^2).
- Temperature: Equilibrium via Stefan-Boltzmann law, assuming both-side radiation. T = (F_solar / 2*sigma_SB)^(1/4), independent of reflectivity since absorptivity = emissivity.
- Statite Limit: Critical areal density sigma_crit = L_sun / (4*pi*G*M_sun*c) ~ 1.53 g/m^2, independent of distance. Mirrors lighter than this hover freely.
- Feasibility: Material thermal limits determine which distances are feasible. Aluminum fails above 933 K, graphene survives up to ~3000 K.
Note: The thrust scales with coverage fraction but is independent of distance for a fixed coverage fraction, since both solar flux and area scale as 1/d^2. Temperature decreases with distance, making farther placements thermally easier but requiring more total mirror area.
This simulator was built to investigate research question RQ-3b-1: Shkadov mirror standoff distance optimization