Laser Power Transmission in Space: Plasma-Based Power Cell
- 1George Washington University , , 800 22nd St. NW , , ,
Abstract
Laser power beaming offers a route to space energy delivery, but semiconductor laser photovoltaic receivers face thermalization, Joule heating, and radiative recombination losses at the solid-state junction. Here, we propose a gas-phase plasma power cell that converts incident vacuum-ultraviolet photons directly into electrical output through xenon photoionization, magnetically guided electron transport, and collection at a biased electrode surface, replacing the fixed semiconductor junction with an optically tunable, all-gas-phase energy-conversion medium. The model includes secondary electron emission at the electrode surfaces as a possible interfacial energy recycling pathway. Particle-in-cell Monte Carlo simulations of a low-pressure xenon chamber driven by a 58.4 nm pulsed laser predict a steady-state laser-to-electrical conversion efficiency of 82.25% at an average incident power of 2000 W/m. Energy accounting is close to 1%, with 7.52% photon escape, 8.95% boundary loss, and 1.29% chamber-stored energy. Parameter scans over bias voltage, magnetic field, and gas pressure identify photon absorption, electron confinement, and plasma-electrode charge collection as the controlling design factors. Because the present calculation is a preliminary numerical proof of concept using simplified kinetics and idealized surface, boundary, and energy-recycling treatments, the 82.25% value should be interpreted as a receiver-side model prediction conditional on those assumptions, rather than as a demonstrated or guaranteed device efficiency. These results establish a proof-of-concept gas-phase photonic receiver architecture for wireless laser power transmission in space.
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BibTeX
@article{lin2026laser,
title = {{Laser Power Transmission in Space: Plasma-Based Power Cell}},
author = {Li Lin and Michael Keidar},
journal = {ACS Omega},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1021/acsomega.6c09476},
url = {https://pubs.acs.org/acsodf/article/doi/10.1021/acsomega.6c09476/5457745/Laser-Power-Transmission-in-Space-Plasma-Based},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Laser Power Transmission in Space: Plasma-Based Power Cell
AU - Li Lin
AU - Michael Keidar
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/24
JO - ACS Omega
DO - 10.1021/acsomega.6c09476
UR - https://pubs.acs.org/acsodf/article/doi/10.1021/acsomega.6c09476/5457745/Laser-Power-Transmission-in-Space-Plasma-Based
AB - Laser power beaming offers a route to space energy delivery, but semiconductor laser photovoltaic receivers face thermalization, Joule heating, and radiative recombination losses at the solid-state junction. Here, we propose a gas-phase plasma power cell that converts incident vacuum-ultraviolet photons directly into electrical output through xenon photoionization, magnetically guided electron transport, and collection at a biased electrode surface, replacing the fixed semiconductor junction with an optically tunable, all-gas-phase energy-conversion medium. The model includes secondary electron emission at the electrode surfaces as a possible interfacial energy recycling pathway. Particle-in-cell Monte Carlo simulations of a low-pressure xenon chamber driven by a 58.4 nm pulsed laser predict a steady-state laser-to-electrical conversion efficiency of 82.25% at an average incident power of 2000 W/m. Energy accounting is close to 1%, with 7.52% photon escape, 8.95% boundary loss, and 1.29% chamber-stored energy. Parameter scans over bias voltage, magnetic field, and gas pressure identify photon absorption, electron confinement, and plasma-electrode charge collection as the controlling design factors. Because the present calculation is a preliminary numerical proof of concept using simplified kinetics and idealized surface, boundary, and energy-recycling treatments, the 82.25% value should be interpreted as a receiver-side model prediction conditional on those assumptions, rather than as a demonstrated or guaranteed device efficiency. These results establish a proof-of-concept gas-phase photonic receiver architecture for wireless laser power transmission in space.
SN - 2470-1343
ER -