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We find that the energy-momentum tensor of electromagnetic waves in media is very similar to that of ordinary fluids, and concepts such as density, pressure, and energy transfer rate can be similarly defined. On this basis, we conducted a…
Recent years have witnessed a number of beautiful experiments in radiation optics. Our purpose with this mini-review is to highlight some developments of radiation pressure physics in general, and thereafter to focus on the importance of…
The 100-year-long problem concerning the correct form of the electromagnetic energy-momentum tensor in continuous media (usually called the Abraham-Minkowski problem) continues to attract interest. We provide a critical analysis of…
We analyze the Abraham-Minkowski problem known from classical electrodynamics from two different perspectives. First, we follow a formal approach, implying use of manifolds with curved space sections in accordance with Fermat's principle,…
A discussion is given on the interpretation and physical importance of the Minkowski momentum in macroscopic electrodynamics (essential for the Abraham-Minkowski problem). We focus on the following two facets: (1) Adopting a simple…
Here, the Abraham-Minkowski controversy on the correct definition of the light momentum in a macroscopic medium is revisited with the purpose to highlight that an effective medium formalism necessarily restricts the available information on…
The problem of the electromagnetic energy-momentum tensor is among the oldest and the most controversial in macroscopic electrodynamics. In the center of the issue is a dispute about the Minkowski and the Abraham tensors for moving media.…
There exist two popular energy-momentum tensors for an electromagnetic wave in a dielectric medium. The Abraham expression is robust to experimental verification but more mathematically demanding, while the Minkowski expression is the…
During the past century, the electromagnetic field momentum in material media has been under debate in the Abraham-Minkowski controversy as convincing arguments have been advanced in favor of both the Abraham and Minkowski forms of photon…
We find that the energy-dynamic tensor of electromagnetic wave in medium defined by Lagrange density is very similar to that of ordinary fluid, and density and pressure can be defined similarly. The pressure here is different from the…
By analyzing the Einstein-box thought experiment with the principle of relativity, it is shown that Abraham's light momentum and energy in a medium cannot constitute a Lorentz four-vector, and they consequentially break global momentum and…
That static electric and magnetic fields can store momentum may be perplexing, but is necessary to ensure total conservation of momentum. Simple situations in which such field momentum is transferred to nearby bodies and point charges have…
Though the interfacial tractor beam experiment supports the increase of photon momentum (i.e., Minkowski momentum), it is still a matter of investigation whether, inside matter, the photon momentum always increases. Considering the…
According to the scientific literature, the momentum of a photon in a simple linear dielectric is either $\hbar\omega/(nc)$ or $n\hbar\omega/c$ with a unit vector ${\bf \hat e}_k$ in the direction of propagation. These momentums are…
Different theoretical and experimental aspects of electromagnetic phenomena in media is reviewed. The 100 year old Minkowski theory is in agreement with most experiments, but has theoretical problems related to its implied validity in all…
Almost a hundred years ago, two different expressions were proposed for the energy--momentum tensor of an electromagnetic wave in a dielectric. Minkowski's tensor predicted an increase in the linear momentum of the wave on entering a…
We discuss the electromagnetic energy-momentum distribution and the mechanical forces of the electromagnetic field in material media. There is a long-standing controversy on these notions. The Minkowski and the Abraham energy-momentum…
We consider the forces exerted by a pulse of plane-wave light on a single atom. The leading edge of the pulse exerts a dispersive force on the atom, and this modifies the atomic momentum while the atom is enveloped in the light. The…
We derive from first principles the momentum exchange between a photon and a quantum mirror upon reflection, by considering the boundary conditions imposed by the mirror surface on the photon wave equation. We show that the system generally…
In the more than 100 years-old Abraham-Minkowski problem in macroscopic electrodynamics, the issue of how to observe the so-called Abraham term ${\bf f}^{\rm Aterm} = [(\varepsilon\mu-1)/c^2] \partial/\partial t ({\bf E}\times {\bf H})$ has…