Characteristic investigation of ablative laser propulsion parameters using barium ferrites BaFe₁₂O₁₉ irradiated by Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm

Ablative laser propulsion earned a potential significance for its ability to propel any distant object. It can be used in defense and security applications, such as disabling unauthorized drones or neutralizing explosives from a distance. It also has applications to micro- and nano-satellites for micro-orbiting and attitude control along with debris removal. To investigate the propulsive parameters of barium ferrite (BaFe₁₂O₁₉) by ablative laser propulsion, the material was subjected to Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm wavelength and 5 ns pulse duration at laboratory conditions. BaFe₁₂O₁₉ was synthesized using chemical methods and subjected to different sonication time to check its effectiveness as propellants. The specific impulse and coupling coefficient were calculated at laser fluence 1e5–5e5J/m². A maximum of specific impulse (I_SP) 2500 s along with enhanced coupling coefficient (C_m) in the range of 3.1119e−4 to 3.2190e−4 N s/J has been achieved. The achieved results showed that it can be used as promising material in the manufacturing of laser thrusters to amplify the propulsion applications.