Isolated detection of elastic waves driven by the momentum of light

Tomaž Požar (), Jernej Laloš, Aleš Babnik, Rok Petkovšek, Max Bethune-Waddell, Kenneth J. Chau, Gustavo V. B. Lukasievicz and Nelson G. C. Astrath ()
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Tomaž Požar: University of Ljubljana
Jernej Laloš: University of Ljubljana
Aleš Babnik: University of Ljubljana
Rok Petkovšek: University of Ljubljana
Max Bethune-Waddell: The University of British Columbia
Kenneth J. Chau: The University of British Columbia
Gustavo V. B. Lukasievicz: Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná
Nelson G. C. Astrath: Universidade Estadual de Maringá

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract 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.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05706-3

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