Isolated detection of elastic waves driven by the momentum of light

Požar, Tomaž (author), Laloš, Jernej (author), Babnik, Aleš (author), Petkovšek, Rok (author), Bethune-Waddell, Max (author), Chau, Kenneth J. (author), Lukasievicz, G. V. B. (author), Astrath, Nelson Guilherme Castelli (author)

Electromagnetic momentum carried by light is observable through the mechanical effects radiation pressure exerts on illuminated objects. Momentum conversion from electromagnetic fields to elastic waves within a solid object proceeds through a string of electrodynamic and elastodynamic phenomena, collectively bound by momentum and energy continuity. The details of this conversion predicted by theory have yet to be validated by experiments, as it is difficult to distinguish displacements driven by momentum from those driven by heating due to light absorption. Here, we have measured temporal variations of the surface displacements induced by laser pulses reflected from a solid dielectric mirror. Ab initio modelling of momentum flow describes the transfer of momentum from the electromagnetic field to the dielectric mirror, with subsequent creation/propagation of multicomponent elastic waves. Complete consistency between predictions and absolute measurements of surface displacements offers compelling evidence of elastic transients driven predominantly by the momentum of light.

• Language: English
• Keywords: radiation pressure, elastic waves, linear momentum, electrodynamics, elastodynamics
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2018
• Number of pages: 11 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 9, art. 3340
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-102397
• UDC: 519.6:535(045)
• ISSN on article: 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05706-3
• COBISS.SI-ID: 16198683
• Publication date in RUL: 27.08.2018

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Nature communications
• Shortened title: Nat. Commun.
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• ISSN: 2041-1723
• COBISS.SI-ID: 2315876

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 21.08.2018

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: svetlobni tlak, elastični valovi, gibalna količina, elektrodinamika, elastodinamika