Radiation pressure and momentum transfer in dielectrics: The photon drag effect

Loudon, R and Barnett, S M and Baxter, C (2005) Radiation pressure and momentum transfer in dielectrics: The photon drag effect. Physical Review A, 71 (6). -. ISSN 1050-2947 (https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.71.063802)

Full text not available in this repository.Request a copy

Abstract

The momentum transfer from light to a dielectric material in the photon drag effect is calculated by evaluation of the relevant Lorentz force. In accordance with measurements on Si and Ge, the material is taken as a two-component optical system, with charge carriers described by an extinction coefficient kappa in a host semiconductor described by real refractive indices eta(p) (phase) and eta(g) (group). The calculated momentum transfer to the charge carriers alone has the value eta(p)h omega/c per photon, the so-called Minkowski value, found experimentally. The time-dependent Lorentz force is calculated for light in the form of a narrow-band single-photon pulse. When the pulse is much shorter than the attenuation length, which is much shorter than the sample thickness, there is a clear separation in time between surface and bulk contributions to the forces. The total bulk momentum transfer (charges plus host) in this case is found to be h omega/eta(g)c, the so-called Abraham value.

  • Item type:Article
    ID code:31079
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    June 2005
    Published
    Subjects:Science > Physics > Optics. Light
    Department:Faculty of Science > Physics
    Depositing user: Pure Administrator
    Date deposited:22 Jun 2011 15:16
    Last modified:08 Apr 2024 19:05
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/31079
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)