Theory of the radiation pressure on dielectric slabs, prisms and single surfaces

Optics Express
|June 17, 2009
PubMed

Related Concept Videos

Radiation Pressure: Problem Solving01:09

Radiation Pressure: Problem Solving

The radiation pressure applied by an electromagnetic wave on a perfectly absorbing surface equals the energy density of the wave. The wave's momentum also gets transferred to the surface when an electromagnetic wave is entirely absorbed by it. The rate at which momentum is transmitted to an absorbing surface perpendicular to the propagation direction equals the force on the surface.
The average value of the rate of momentum transfer divided by the absorbing area represents the average force per...
Momentum And Radiation Pressure01:20

Momentum And Radiation Pressure

An object absorbing an electromagnetic wave would experience a force in the direction of propagation of the wave. This force occurs because electromagnetic waves contain and transport momentum. The force accounts for the wave's radiation pressure exerted on the object. Maxwell's prediction was confirmed in 1903 by Nichols and Hull by precisely measuring radiation pressures with a torsion balance. The measuring instrument had mirrors suspended from a fiber kept inside a glass container. Nichols...
Interference and Diffraction02:18

Interference and Diffraction

Interference is a characteristic phenomenon exhibited by waves. When two electromagnetic waves interact with their peaks and troughs coinciding, a resulting wave with enhanced amplitude is produced. This is known as constructive interference. In this case, the two waves interacting are in phase with each other.
Fluid Pressure over Flat Plate of Variable Width01:02

Fluid Pressure over Flat Plate of Variable Width

When a flat plate is submerged in a fluid, the fluid exerts pressure on the plate. This pressure can lead to many different phenomena, including drag and buoyancy. To understand the behavior of the fluid over a flat plate of variable width, it is essential to analyze the distribution of the pressure exerted.
The pressure distribution on the plate can be calculated by determining the force that acts on a differential area strip of the plate. Thus, the magnitude of the force is equal to the...
Concept of Pressure at a Point01:15

Concept of Pressure at a Point

The concept of pressure at a point in a fluid establishes that pressure within a fluid is uniform in all directions at a specific location. This uniformity occurs because fluid molecules exert force evenly across any point due to their random motion and continuous collisions within the fluid. Pressure at a point is determined by the surrounding fluid molecules and is influenced by factors like depth and density, rather than by shape or orientation.
In a fluid at rest, pressure acts equally in...
Hydrostatic Pressure Force on a Plane Surface01:04

Hydrostatic Pressure Force on a Plane Surface

When a plane surface is submerged in a fluid, hydrostatic forces develop on the surface due to the fluid's pressure. For horizontal surfaces, the pressure exerted by the fluid is uniform because the depth remains constant. The resultant force is determined by the pressure at the given depth multiplied by the area of the surface, and it acts through the centroid of the surface. For vertical surfaces, the pressure varies with depth, increasing as the distance from the fluid's free surface...