Radiation pressure on plane dielectric surfaces

V.P. Torchigin, A.V. Torchigin

It is shown on the basis of unambiguous thought and real experiments regarding the pressure produced by light on a plane boundary of optical medium that the Abraham force takes part in the production of the pressure. As a result, all hitherto known information obtained by using another approach based on the Lorentz force should be corrected. Radiation pressures produced by a continuous light wave and a light pulse on the simplest plane dielectric surfaces are presented. The pressure produced by a continuous travelling light wave incident from ree space on a semi-infinite dielectric is negative and is equal -W0(n-1)(n + 1) where W0 is the energy density of light in free space, n is the refractive index. The pressure produced by the leading edge of a light pulse at the entrance to the dielectric is positive and equal W0(n-1)(n + 1). Pressures produced by a continuous light wave and light pulse on a semi-infinite dielectric with anti-reflection λ/4 coating are equal W0(1-n) and W0(1-1/n), respectively.

DOI