Advanced Linear Electron Beam Phased Propulsion

Advanced Linear Electron Beam Phased Propulsion

Michael E. Thomas

nlspropulsion@pacbell.net
http://nlspropulsion.net

Patents have been filed on an Advanced Electric Propulsion Linear Electron Beam Particle Accelerator (LINAC) for light
speed electron particle propulsion using the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect and Birkeland currents in a unique proprietary
method developed to take future space craft propulsion in a new direction.

Keywords: linac, electron, klystron, pebble bed, spacecraft, interstellar, interplanetary, space mining, phased array

INTRODUCTION

For the first time in history, a design concept takes space propulsion in a direction never thought of by any scientist or
organization in history which will be explained, Fig. 1. A unique new approach never tried before by any company,
corporation, research facility, university, military, independent private or public research. This is what is known. Present day
Oberth technology used by many will now be classified as an antiquated propulsion technology which hits ~ 25,000 miles/hr.
max (.00378 % of c, c=186,000 miles/sec) and has a very limited travel distance. Space travelers using Oberth technology
would see the time needed to travel to Alpha Centauri our closest neighboring star taking hundreds if not thousands of years.
With the introduction of the concept of Near Light Speed (NLS) propulsion approaching 10 % of light speed that is ~
67,061,662 miles/hr. there is plenty of room to learn and grow towards 99.9 % the speed of light (c=670,616,629.384 mile
per hour). This would mean travel to Mars in 144 days not years and travel to Alpha Centauri in 5 to 10 years. Table 1

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ELECTRON PROPELLANT

First of all, there are a few constants that are used in the equations that will be defined here to remove any ambiguity.
Given the below equations, the relationship between velocity and kinetic energy can be found. Specifically, solving for beta.
Engine is resonant RF cavity standing wave electron particle linear accelerator, independently, one electron is only capable of
producing a very minute force, and in groups they can produce a large force, due to the ability to rapidly accelerate them. The
acceleration force (F) of an electrically charged particle, such as an electron, is equal to the particle's charge (q) multiplied by
the strength of the electric field (E) through which it is passing. With the given charge of an electron being and
the electric field through which it passes being , the force of a single electron is essentially ,
(where C is the unit of electrons in Coulombs and N is the unit of force in Newton’s). The resulting acceleration is calculated
by employing relativistic mechanics. Dr. Paul H. Conner 1, US Patent number: 5546743 calculates,

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INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL USING 1 G CONSTANT ACCELERATION

Using today's 25,000 miles/hr propulsion technology to Mars when it is closest at 35-60 million miles opposition takes 6 to 8
months or using the average distance of 141 million miles (250 million max.) means 21 months (639 days) one way or 1278
days (3.5 years) round trip to Mars. This time duration poses a major health hazard for humans traveling in space.
An NLS Space Shuttle could travel from Earth to Mars 1 way in 72 days or round trip in 144 days using this technology.

Two other scientist have also shown that 24 hour seven day week acceleration at 1 G can be used to reach near light speed
propulsion speeds necessary for interstellar and interplanetary travel. Dr. Steve Schaefer 2, Ph.D. Princeton University (Physics), “Calculates if X = 4.3 light- years, then T = 3.6 years. Dozens of stars could be reached in five to six years. In fact, a traveler could even go to the Andromeda galaxy (2,000,000 light years) in under 29 years (Ship Time in Years) if a constant acceleration could be maintained." If we suppose that we eventually have the ability to harness enormous resources, but do not uncover new laws of physics, then it will always take individual humans years to travel between the stars. The problem is that we can't accelerate faster
than our bodies can survive. So, if we assume that the passengers want to experience the journey at an acceleration of 1 g,
then how much travel time do they experience on an interstellar journey?
The difficulty that we have to work through is that the traveler isn't in an inertial frame of reference. That is, v keeps
changing. The traveler starts at rest and undergoes a constant rate of acceleration g (in the traveler's frame of reference). What
is the traveler's velocity (relative to the original frame of reference) at any time?

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If X = 4.3 light-years, then T = 3.6 years. Dozens of stars could be reached in five to six years. In fact, a traveler could even
go the Andromeda galaxy in under 29 years if a constant acceleration could be maintained.
A future spacecraft, using technologies that we haven't even dreamed of, may use an engine that could sustain a constant
acceleration of 1 g until the ship reaches relativistic speeds. With such an engine, a trip even to Andromeda may be possible
within a human lifetime. "Einstein For Dummies", Also see Dr. Carlos I. Calle, PhD 3
, NASA senior research scientist. Pub.
Date: June 2005, ISBN: 978-0-7645-8348-3, Pages: 384 Pages.
Table 1 shows several possible trips on a ship constantly accelerating at 1 g. The figure for "Distance in Light-Years" is also
the time that would pass on Earth while the ship traveled to its destination.

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LINEAR PARTICLE ACCELERATION

A LINear Accelerator or LINAC is a particle accelerator which accelerates charged particles - electrons, protons or heavy
ions - in a straight line, Fig. 2. Charged particles enter on the left and are accelerated towards the first drift tube by an electric
field. Once inside the drift tube, they are shielded from the field and drift through at a constant velocity. When they arrive at
the next gap, the field accelerates them again until they reach the next drift tube. This continues, with the particles picking up
more and more energy in each gap, until they shoot out of the accelerator. The drift tubes are necessary because an
alternating field is used and without them, the field would alternately accelerate and decelerate the particles. The drift tubes
shield the particles for the length of time that the field would be decelerating the linear accelerator, or linac, is the
electromagnetic catapult that brings electrons from a standing start to relativistic velocity--a velocity near the speed of light.

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The electron gun, located at the left in the drawing, is where electron acceleration begins. The electrons start out attached to
the molecules in a plate of barium aluminate or other thermionic materials such as thorium. This is the cathode of the electron
gun. A cathode is a surface that has a negative electrical charge. In linac electron guns this charge is usually created by
heating the cathode. Barium aluminate is a "thermionic" material, Table 3, this means that its electrons tend to break free of
their atoms when heated. These electrons "boil" near the surface of the cathode. The gate is like a switch. It consists of a
copper screen, or "grid," and is an anode. An anode is a surface with a positive electrical charge. Every 500 millionth of a
second the gate is given a strong positive charge that causes electrons to fly toward it from the cathode in tremendous
numbers.

As these electrons reach the gate, they become attracted even more strongly by the main anode, and pass through the gate.
Because the gate is pulsing at a rate of 500 million times per second (500 MHz), the electrons arrive at the anode in loose
bunches, a 500 millionth of a second apart. The anode is a torus (a doughnut) shaped to create an electromagnetic field that
guides most of the electrons through the hole into the next part of the accelerator, called the buncher. The purpose of the
buncher is to accelerate the pulsing electrons as they come out of the electron gun and pack them into bunches. To do this the
buncher receives powerful microwave radiation from the klystron, Table 2. The microwaves accelerate the electrons in
somewhat the same way that ocean waves accelerate surfers on surfboards. The linac itself is just an extension of the
buncher. It receives additional RF power to continue accelerating the electrons and compacting them into tighter bunches.
Electrons enter the linac from the buncher at a velocity of 0.6c--that's 60% of the speed of light. By the time the electrons
leave the linac, they are traveling very close to the speed of light.
The schematic Fig. 2 shows accelerating radio frequency Hi-Q Cavities, but any number can be added to increase the energy
of the electrons. The higher the energy the faster the velocity of electrons and the closer to light speed velocities. The yelloworange disks are electrons in the buncher. The curve is the microwave radiation in the buncher. The electrons receive more
energy from the wave--more acceleration--depending on how near they are to the crest of the wave, so the electrons riding
higher on the wave catch up with the slower ones riding lower.
The right-hand wave shows the same group of electrons a split second later. On the front of the wave, the two faster electrons
have almost caught up with the slower electron. They won't pass it though, because they are now lower on the wave and
therefore receive less acceleration. The higher electron on the back of the wave gets just enough acceleration to match the
speed of the wave, and is in the same position as it was on the left-hand wave. This represents the last electron in the bunch.
The lower electron on the back of the wave gets too little energy to keep up with the bunch and ends up even lower on the
right-hand wave. Eventually it will fall back to the electron bunch forming one wave behind.

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In a diode structure, electrons leaving the cathode surface lower the electric field at the surface. A stable condition exists
when the field is zero as any further reduction would repel electrons back to the cathode. This stable regime is known as
'space-charge-limited emission' and is governed by the Child Langmuir equation: J = P . V 3/2

Where P, a constant which is a function of the geometry of the system, is known as the perveance. However, if the voltage
becomes sufficiently high, the Richardson limit for current is reached when the emission becomes temperature limited.
Thermionic emitters are used in electron tubes and in specialist electron guns, as for example in klystrons
All of the accelerator systems rely on accelerating particles to high velocities. To allow the transfer of energy to the beam to
be as efficient as possible, it is important to have no particles in the beam path which may undergo collisions with the beam
and subsequent momentum transfer. This would cause a scattering of the beam, resulting in it diffusing away. Another
problem which would arise in an accelerator with unevacuated beampipes would be limitations on the maximum electric field
gradients attainable in the RF cavities. The high electric fields would cause an ionization of the air, forming a path to ground,
reducing the electric field.

To overcome these problems, it is necessary to have evacuated regions wherever the beam is intended to travel or high field
gradients would be present. These regions are enclosed in beampipe, or the magnet casing itself. Ideally the vacuum should
be the best attainable, but a balance between the cost of the system verses the time beam stays in the accelerator must be
reached. Accelerator Beam energy of the accelerator one typically discusses the 'energy' of the accelerator, or more
specifically the beam energy. The concept of beam energy, its relationship to momentum and velocity and the Use of
relativity for velocity determination since the kinetic energy particle energies are on the same order of or are above the rest
energy of a proton, the methods to calculate velocities must take into account relativistic effects. A quick review of relativity
will be given here to refresh on the equations used.

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The present invention using a linear particle accelerator follows Albert Einstein’s Law of Relativity E=MC2, Newton’s Laws
of Motion, and data beam energies seen in Fermi lab accelerators as proof that an electron beam energy stream can be
accelerated to the speed of light. It can therefore be shown that the kinetic energy of the high velocity electrons having mass,
i.e. E=MC2, can be used to propel a spacecraft through outer space. The self contained small, sealed, transportable,
autonomous pebble bed nuclear reactor (PBR) will provide >25 Megawatts of electrical energy. The electrical energy from
the PBR will be the generator for electrons to the linear particle accelerator. This electrical energy used as a 30 year source of
thermionic electrons to the cathode.

There are atleast two major advantages for operating a linear particle accelerator in outer space as the vacuum creates very
low temperatures (2 degrees above absolute zero) which can be used to keep the LINAC from overheating and burning up.
The second reason for operation in space is there are no particles that can get into the wave tube during operation causing
unwanted ionization preventing efficient electron subatomic particle acceleration. The thermionic electrons movement away
from the cathode will be controlled by a control gate which allows electrons to pass. The control gate will also control
forward velocity of the spacecraft by allowing more thermionic electronics to enter the wave tube to be accelerated by the
LINAC. An anode close to the control gate accelerates the electrons faster so they can’t be recaptured by control gate.
The first of many microwave high energy Klystrons tuned to slightly longer wavelength will accelerate the electrons through
the linear particle accelerator. The first stage klystron is used to bring the electrons in alignment with the positive peaks of the
base microwave frequency used in the linear accelerator and is called the buncher. From the buncher the electrons enter the
wave tube region in the linear accelerator (LINAC) where the electron beam particles are eventually accelerated to 99 percent
of light speed. The LINAC uses magnetic stirring guides called drift tubes installed between klystron waveguide microwave
power inputs to keep the electron beam energy bunched together preventing them from drifting apart in the linear
acceleration waveguide.
Each klystron is tuned to a slightly different wavelength to continue pushing the electrons forward through the accelerator
using the peaks of the gradually increasing microwave frequency wavelength to move the electrons in a linear forward
direction only. The accelerated electron beam particles exit the LINAC with a force equal to or greater than 50 billion
electron volts traveling at 663,910,463 miles / hour arriving at the high energy phased array microwave antenna’s located
near the exiting LINAC electron beam particles.

MICROWAVE PHASED ARRAY STEERING

The accelerated electrons have reached a point where the energy from exciting the linear accelerator can now be used for
space craft propulsion. The exciting synchronized beam electrons angular direction of movement from the space craft is
steered by changing the phase of the output electro magnetic fields (EMF) waveform. The phased array microwave control
electronics will change the peak EMF waveform start time thus shifting the phase angle of the EMF transmitted microwave.
The phased array microwave control electronics will change the peak EMF waveform start time thus shifting the phase angle
of the EMF transmitted microwave. The phased array microwave EMF positive peak sine waves synchronize with the
positive peaks of the electron particle beam containing the high energy near light speed negative charged electron subatomic
particles. By changing the time phase output of the microwave peak pulse influences the electro magnetic energy wave front
angle to be able to move through a +60 to -60 degree from 0 degree normal microwave radiation pattern.
The phased array EMF microwave is synchronized to the microwave force of the near light speed electron particle beam
providing a means for changing the spacecrafts speed and direction. The 4 minimum microwave phased array antenna electro
magnetic frequencies will work together to create a variable angular pitch virtual waveguide in space for the path of the near
light speed propellant electrons. No physical contact is made with the electrons thereby preventing loss of kinetic energy of
the electron propellant’s work energy. An equal and opposite force will thereby be applied to the spacecraft according to
Newton’s Third Law of Motion. Changing the path angle of the discharged electron beam changes the direction of force on
the aft / rear of the spacecraft used as a rudder for steering the spacecraft per Newton’s Three Laws of Motion. The increased
energy of the linear particle accelerated electron beam falling under Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity E=MC2 and Special Theory of Relativity.

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PROPULSION POWER AND ENGINEERING REQUIREMENTS

The interplanetary and interstellar space craft will rely on a 22.5 MW pebble bed nuclear reactor using the heated helium gas
from the nuclear reactor as the coolant. The heated gas coolant will be used by a gas turbine generator for the generation of
electricity. The pebble bed reactor will use a simple system of adding and removing grapefruit size uranium graphite balls to
increase and decrease reactor activity.

Helium gas is passed into the reactor and flows over the fuel pebbles in which a chain reaction is taking place. The helium is
heated to a temperature of 900 degrees and pressure increases to 69 bars inside the reactor. The heated helium gas flows
through to the turbine which in turn drives a generator. The helium gas then goes through to a very effective recuperator
which gives up much of its heat to the helium which is just about to re-enter the reactor - pre or re-heating the helium. The
lower-energy helium gas is then passed through the pre-intercooler and inter-cooler and low pressure compressor and high
pressure compressor before returning to the reactor core at 540 degrees. Vacuum of space and heat exchanger will be used
only on the cooling systems throughout the space craft. SSTAR Pebble Bed Reactor, Fig. 4.
Below is a diagram example of a Simple Modular High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor power plant is essentially contained
in two interconnected pressure vessels for 22.5 Megawatt. The design can be customized to our spec.

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Thermal characteristics

Helium gas turbine, power klystrons, control electronics, misc. electronics and linear particle accelerator generator with rely
on heat in some cases to generate energy and in some cases heat will be an unwanted by product. The temperature of 2
degrees of absolute zero in free vacuum space will be utilized to remove all thermal loads from the space craft by heat
exchangers. Radiators can be developed to be deployed and used when and if they are needed to balance the heat load of the
propulsion system. They can be designed so they can be deployed during space craft acceleration.

Electrical Power requirements

Approximately 22.5 MW for the linear accelerator operation, control electronic, crews power needs, radio frequency
communication / radar, and phased array microwave rudder system.

Structure (Vibration / acoustics)

The vibration of the space craft’s linear accelerator will be kept to minimum through the use of high powered
superconducting magnets using the vacuum of space to kept the temperature in the safe operating mode. Motors and
generator use will be kept to a minimum to reduce noise, vibration, and unwanted RF interference. The crew’s quarters,
control and command lab with have a gravitational field due to the continual acceleration during flight. The crew’s quarter
will be kept at comfortable temperature from excessive heat by the propulsion unit and additional heat can be pumped into
the living quarters by sharing of the heat load from the reactor helium coolant. Helium is an inert gas having 0 reactive
components to harm ships personnel.

CONCLUSION

The  simplicity,  cost,  and  indefinite  reusability  of  a  near  light  speed  space  craft  using  an  electron  linear  particle  accelerator propulsion engine using thermionic electrons, magnetic wave tubes, radio frequency klystrons, self contained nuclear reactor, and  phased  shifted  microwaves  for  spacecraft  propulsion  have  endless  applications  for  mankind.  A  self  contained  nuclear  reactor with a minimum of a 10 year lifetime will supply an electron fuel source of thermionic electrons for a linear particle accelerator and free electrons in space will be used as a renewable propellant source for the space craft. No other propulsion method published to date has covered the realistic possibilities of such an engine capable of interstellar and interstellar travel having the possibility of saving mankind from extinction. The space shuttle will be the best application of this technology.

REFERENCES

1 Patent: 5546743, Dr. Paul H. Conner, Dumfries, Va.
2 Mathematical Recreations, Interstellar Travel, Dr. Steve Schaefer, Ph.D. Princeton University (Physics)
3 "Einstein For Dummies", By Dr. Carlos I. Calle, PhD, NASA senior research scientist Pub. Date: June 2005, ISBN: 978-0-7645-8348-3, Pages: 384 Pages.
4 A new measurement of the electron density in the local interstellar medium, Dr. Brian E. Wood and Dr. Jeffrey L. Linsky 1996 October 17, http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/resolve?1997ApJ...474L..39WPDF