Stellar engine

Stellar engines are a class of megastructures which use a star's radiation to create usable energy. Some variants use this energy to produce thrust, and thus accelerate a star, and anything orbiting it, in a given direction.

Classes
Class A: Shkadov thruster

Class B: Dyson sphere

A Class C stellar engine, such as the Badescu-Cathcart engine, combines the two other classes, employing both the propulsive aspects of the Shkadov thruster, and the energy generating aspects of a Class B engine.

In the diagram a Class C Stellar Engine is built around a Sun-like star. It consists of a partial Dyson swarm composed of 5 Dyson Rings of solar collectors (the Class B component), and a large statite Shkadov thruster (the Class A component). Perspective is from below the system's ecliptic at a distance of ~2.8 AU. The system's direction of acceleration is on a vector which passes from the center of the star through the center of the Shkadov thruster, which is hovering over the star's north pole (with regards to the ecliptic), at a distance of 1 AU.

Caplan thruster

Shklovsky Mining Graser