Abstract
Characteristics of compact laser plasma accelerators utilizing high-power laser and thin-target interaction were reviewed as a potential candidate of future spacecraft thrusters capable of generating relativistic plasma beams for interstellar missions. Based on the special theory of relativity, motion of the relativistic plasma beam exhausted from the thruster was formulated. Relationships of thrust, specific impulse, input power and momentum coupling coefficient for the relativistic plasma thruster were derived. It was shown that under relativistic conditions, the thrust could be extremely large even with a small amount of propellant flow rate. Moreover, it was shown that for a given value of input power thrust tended to approach the value of the photon rocket under the relativistic conditions regardless of the propellant flow rate.
