Dr. Young K. Bae
Dr. Bae is CEO and Founder of the Bae Institute: a unique institute dedicated to creating revolutionary technologies for the next generation space endeavors, yet aiming at facilitating their rapid implementation and commercialization. He has researched on advanced propulsion technologies including laser, nuclear fusion, and antimatter propulsion in the last 25 years. Recently, Dr. Bae invented and successfully demonstrated the Photonic Laser Thruster (PLT): an innovative photon thruster capable of accelerating spacecraft to unprecedented high speeds greater than 100 km/sec by amplifying photon thrust. If successfully implemented, PLT can also be used for a wide range of other next generation space applications including the Photon Tether Formation Flight (PTFF): a unique promising solution to the nano-meter accuracy formation flying with baseline distances up to tens of kms. This nano-precision contamination-free PTFF System can be used for building ultralarge telescopes and radars at affordable cost. After obtaining a Ph.D. in experimental atomic and nuclear physics in the applications of nuclear fusion and particle beams from UC Berkeley in 1982, Dr. Bae worked as a physicist at SRI International for 10 years, where he led research projects related with laser and particle beams, inertial confinement fusion, antimatter physics, high energy density materials, and nano-particles. He and his colleagues discovered the self neutralizing He2- molecular ion. Dr. Bae was one of the early pioneers in researching C60 and its applications, worked on antimatter propulsion research in which the method of condensing antimatter was investigated, and researched on hypervelocity (v> 100 km/s) impact studies of clusters for nuclear fusion and propulsion applications. In early 1990’s, at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, Dr. Bae continued the research on hypervelocity impact studies on clusters and particles for nuclear fusion applications. There, Dr. Bae and his colleagues discovered that the cluster ions produce highly enhanced compression compared with individual ions resulting in creating unprecedented pressures of hundreds megabars. This discovery may result in a new pathway to more efficient heavy ion nuclear fusion schemes that are ideal for space propulsion applications. In mid 1990’s, at the Rocket Propulsion Laboratory of Edwards Air Force Base (currently AFRL), Dr. Bae led and participated in research projects that investigated various advanced propulsion concepts including cryogenic chemical rocket concepts and antimatter propulsion concepts. In the late 1990’s, he worked in R&D companies and universities, including Cal Tech, leading projects on nuclear fusion and medical device development. Since the inception of Bae Institute, he and his team have worked on laser weapons, precision spacecraft formation flying, photonic propulsion, and inertial confinement nuclear fusion.