Momentum of the electromagnetic field in transparent dielectric media

Masud Mansuripur

doi:10.1117/12.733435

5 September 2007 Momentum of the electromagnetic field in transparent dielectric media

Masud Mansuripur

Proceedings Volume 6644, Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation IV; 664413 (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.733435
Event: NanoScience + Engineering, 2007, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

We present arguments in favor of the proposition that the momentum of light inside a transparent dielectric medium is the arithmetic average of the Minkowski and Abraham momenta. Using the Lorentz transformation of the fields (and of the coordinates) from a stationary to a moving reference frame, we show the consistent transformation of electromagnetic energy and momentum between the two frames. We also examine the momentum of static (i.e., time-independent) electromagnetic fields, and show that the close connection that exists between the Poynting vector and the momentum density extends all the way across the frequency spectrum to this zero-frequency limit. In the specific example presented in this paper, the static field inside a non-absorbing dielectric material turns out to have the Minkowski momentum.

Citation Download Citation

Masud Mansuripur "Momentum of the electromagnetic field in transparent dielectric media", Proc. SPIE 6644, Optical Trapping and Optical Micromanipulation IV, 664413 (5 September 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.733435

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