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In a nuclear photonic rocket, a nuclear reactor would generate such high temperatures that the light from the reactor would provide thrust. Think of a nuclear light-bulb, with a reflector. The big advantage is that nothing material leaves the spacecraft, so only nuclear fuel is depleted. This has the highest-known specific impulse of any rocket that might be made with known technology. The reactor would be constructed of graphite and tungsten.
A variation is the photon rocket proposed by the German rocket scientist Eugen Sänger, using antimatter annihilation as a light source and an electron-mirror as a reflecting medium. None of his mirror designs seem to work in reality, however.
See also: spacecraft propulsion
