The Abraham–Minkowski controversy is a physics debate concerning electromagnetic momentum within dielectric media. [1] [2] Two equations were first suggested by Hermann Minkowski (1908) [3] and Max Abraham (1909) [4] [5] for this momentum. They predict different values, from which the name of the controversy derives. [6] Experimental support has been claimed for both. [7] [8] [9] [10]
The two points of view have different physical interpretations and thus neither need be more correct than the other. [11] David J. Griffiths argues that, in the presence of matter, only the total stress–energy tensor carries unambiguous physical significance; how one apportions it between an "electromagnetic" part and a "matter" part depends on context and convenience. [12]
Several papers have claimed to have resolved this controversy. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]
The controversy is still of importance in physics beyond the Standard Model where electrodynamics gets modifications, like in the presence of axions. [19]
References
- ^ Leonhardt, Ulf (2006). "Momentum in an uncertain light". Nature. 444 (7121): 823–824. Bibcode: 2006Natur.444..823L. doi: 10.1038/444823a. PMID 17167461. S2CID 33682507.
- ^ McDonald, K. T. (2017). "Bibliography on the Abraham–Minkowski Debate" (PDF).
-
^ Minkowski, H. (1908). . Nachrichten von der Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, Mathematisch-Physikalische Klasse: 53–111.
- Wikisource translation: The Fundamental Equations for Electromagnetic Processes in Moving Bodies
-
^ Abraham, M. (1909). .
Rendiconti del Circolo Matematico di Palermo. 28: 1–28.
doi:
10.1007/bf03018208.
S2CID
121681939.
- Wikisource translation: On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies
-
^ Abraham, M. (1910).
"Sull'Elletrodinamica di Minkowski".
Rendiconti del Circolo Matematico di Palermo. 30: 33–46.
doi:
10.1007/bf03014862.
S2CID
121524871.
- Wikisource translation: On the Electrodynamics of Minkowski
- ^ Pfeifer, R. N. C.; Nieminen, T. A; Heckenberg, N. R.; Rubinsztein-Dunlop, H. (2007). "Colloquium: Momentum of an electromagnetic wave in dielectric media". Reviews of Modern Physics. 79 (4): 1197–1216. arXiv: 0710.0461. Bibcode: 2007RvMP...79.1197P. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.205.8073. doi: 10.1103/RevModPhys.79.1197. See also: Pfeifer, Robert N. C.; Nieminen, Timo A.; Heckenberg, Norman R.; Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Halina (2009). "Erratum: Colloquium: Momentum of an electromagnetic wave in dielectric media [Rev. Mod. Phys. 79, 1197 (2007)]". Reviews of Modern Physics. 81 (1): 443. arXiv: 0710.0461. Bibcode: 2009RvMP...81..443P. doi: 10.1103/RevModPhys.81.443.
- ^ A. Ashkin; J. M. Dziedzic (1973). "Radiation Pressure on a Free Liquid Surface". Physical Review Letters. 30 (4): 139–142. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.30.139.
- ^ Gretchen K. Campbell; Aaron E. Leanhardt; Jongchul Mun; Micah Boyd; Erik W. Streed; Wolfgang Ketterle; David E. Pritchard (2005). "Photon Recoil Momentum in Dispersive Media". Physical Review Letters. 94 (17): 170403. arXiv: cond-mat/0502014. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.170403. PMID 15904272. S2CID 2033128.
- ^ Weilong She; Jianhui Yu; Raohui Feng (2008). "Observation of a Push Force on the End Face of a Nanometer Silica Filament Exerted by Outgoing Light". Physical Review Letters. 101 (24): 243601. arXiv: 0806.2442. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.243601. PMID 19113619. S2CID 9630919.
- ^ Dacey, J. (9 January 2009). "Experiment resolves century-old optics mystery". Physics World. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ Milonni, Peter W.; Boyd, Robert W. (2010-12-31). "Momentum of Light in a Dielectric Medium" (PDF). Advances in Optics and Photonics. 2 (4): 519. doi: 10.1364/AOP.2.000519. ISSN 1943-8206. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ^ Griffiths, D. J. (2012). "Resource Letter EM-1: Electromagnetic Momentum". American Journal of Physics. 80 (1): 7–18. Bibcode: 2012AmJPh..80....7G. doi: 10.1119/1.3641979.
- ^ Gordon, J. P. (1973). "Radiation forces and momenta in dielectric media". Physical Review A. 8 (1): 14–21. Bibcode: 1973PhRvA...8...14G. doi: 10.1103/physreva.8.14.
- ^ Nelson, D. F. (1991). "Momentum, pseudomomentum, and wave momentum: Toward resolving the Minkowski–Abraham controversy". Physical Review A. 44 (6): 3985–3996. Bibcode: 1991PhRvA..44.3985N. doi: 10.1103/physreva.44.3985. PMID 9906414.
- ^ Mansuripur, M. (2010). "Resolution of the Abraham–Minkowski controversy". Optics Communications. 283 (10): 1997–2005. arXiv: 1208.0872. Bibcode: 2010OptCo.283.1997M. doi: 10.1016/j.optcom.2010.01.010. S2CID 118347570.
- ^ Barnett, S. (2010). "Resolution of the Abraham–Minkowski Dilemma" (PDF). Physical Review Letters. 104 (7): 070401. Bibcode: 2010PhRvL.104g0401B. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.070401. PMID 20366861.
- ^ Mikko Partanen; Teppo Häyrynen; Jani Oksanen; Jukka Tulkki (2017). "Photon mass drag and the momentum of light in a medium". Physical Review A. 95 (6): 063850. arXiv: 1603.07224. Bibcode: 2017PhRvA..95f3850P. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevA.95.063850. S2CID 53420774.
- ^ Mikko Partanen; Jukka Tulkki (2021). "Covariant theory of light in a dispersive medium". Physical Review A. 104 (2): 023510. arXiv: 2105.04053. Bibcode: 2021PhRvA.104b3510P. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevA.104.023510. S2CID 234336055.
- ^ Tobar, Michael E.; McAllister, Ben T.; Goryachev, Maxim (2022-02-15). "Poynting vector controversy in axion modified electrodynamics". Physical Review D. 105 (4): 045009. arXiv: 2109.04056. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevD.105.045009. ISSN 2470-0010. S2CID 246430570.
External links
- Cho, Adrian (2004). "Momentum From Nothing". Physical Review Focus. Vol. 13. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevFocus.13.3. ISSN 1539-0748.
- Schirber, Michael (2008). "Light Bends Glass". Physical Review Focus. Vol. 22. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevFocus.22.20. ISSN 1539-0748.
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