Radiation pressure on a dielectric wedge
arXiv:1401.7057 · doi:10.1364/OPEX.13.002064
Abstract
The force of electromagnetic radiation on a dielectric medium may be derived by a direct application of the Lorentz law of classical electrodynamics. While the light's electric field acts upon the (induced) bound charges in the medium, its magnetic field exerts a force on the bound currents. We use the example of a wedge-shaped solid dielectric, immersed in a transparent liquid and illuminated at Brewster's angle, to demonstrate that the linear momentum of the electromagnetic field within dielectrics has neither the Minkowski nor the Abraham form; rather, the correct expression for momentum density has equal contributions from both. The time rate of change of the incident momentum thus expressed is equal to the force exerted on the wedge plus that experienced by the surrounding liquid.
11 pages, 4 figures, 29 equations, 11 references
References in corpus (1)
Cited by in corpus (13)
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- Whence the Minkowski Momentum?
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- Radiation pressure and the distribution of electromagnetic force in dielectric media
- The Microscopic Ampère formulation for the electromagnetic force density in linear dielectrics
- Generalized Lorentz law and the force of radiation on magnetic dielectrics
- Consistency of time averaged optical force laws for embedded chiral and achiral objects
- On the Modified Einstein-Laub and Modified Chu Optical Force Formulations