An X-ray pulse could be used to change the path of an asteroid, according to a proof-of-concept study by international researchers.
The team used X-rays to target two twelve millimeter wide mock-up asteroids in a vacuum – one made of quartz, and the other made of fused silica. In both experiments, the X-ray pulses heated up the surface of the baby asteroids, resulting in a vapour cloud that created transferred momentum, creating speeds of about 69.5 metres per second in the quartz, and 70.3 metres per second in the silica target.
After calculating how this experiment might scale up to proper comets and asteroids, the team estimate this method could deflect near-Earth objects with a diameter of around four kilometres, and serve as a future defence system for the planet.