Minkowski momentum resulting from a vacuum-medium mapping procedure, and a brief review of Minkowski momentum experiments

DOI10.1016/J.AOP.2017.01.009zbMATH Open1368.78002arXiv1610.03882OpenAlexW2533711919WikidataQ56475464 ScholiaQ56475464MaRDI QIDQ2398348FDOQ2398348

Authors: Iver Brevik 

Publication date: 16 August 2017

Published in: Annals of Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: 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 dielectric model where the refractive index $n$ is constant, we demonstrate by means of a mapping procedure how the electromagnetic field in a medium can be mapped into a corresponding field in vacuum. This mapping was presented many years ago [I. Brevik and B. Lautrup, Mat. Fys. Medd. Dan. Vid. Selsk {�f 38}(1), 1 (1970)], but is apparently not well known. A characteristic property of this procedure is that it shows how natural the Minkowski energy-momentum tensor fits into the canonical formalism. Especially the spacelike character of the electromagnetic total four-momentum for a radiation field (implying negative electromagnetic energy in some inertial frames), so strikingly demonstrated in the Cherenkov effect, is worth attention. (2) Our second objective is to give a critical analysis of some recent experiments on electromagnetic momentum. Care must here be taken in the interpretations: it is easy to be misled and conclude that an experiment is important for the energy-momentum problem, while what is demonstrated experimentally is merely the action of the Abraham-Minkowski force acting in surface layers or inhomogeneous regions. The Abraham-Minkowski force is common for the two energy-momentum tensors and carries no information about field momentum. As a final item, we propose an experiment that might show the existence of the Abraham force at high frequencies. This would eventually be a welcome optical analogue to the classic low-frequency 1975 Lahoz-Walker experiment.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1610.03882

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zbMATH Keywords

electromagnetic energy-momentum tensorAbraham-Minkowski controversyphenomenological electrodynamicsphoton momentum in matter

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Electromagnetic theory (general) (78A25) Electromagnetic interaction; quantum electrodynamics (81V10) Research exposition (monographs, survey articles) pertaining to optics and electromagnetic theory (78-02)

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Cited In (8)

• The Abraham force: Comments on two recent experiments
• The enigma of optical momentum in a medium
• The momentum of electromagnetic waves in dielectric materials
• Optical momentum in negative-index media
• Analysis of the Abraham-Minkowski controversy by means of two simple examples
• On the formulations of the electromagnetic stress-energy tensor
• Energy, Linear Momentum, and Angular Momentum of Light: What Do We Measure?
• Radiation pressure and the photon momentum in dielectrics

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