Outline of the physical proces: (the near-field region is enlarged and the radiative area has been shrunk to ease reading). (IMAGE)

Light Publishing Center, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics And Physics, CAS

Outline of the physical proces: (the near-field region is enlarged and the radiative area has been shrunk to ease reading).

Caption

When an electromagnetic wave, (for example a monochromatic plane wave, as illustrated here), impinges on a body, charges are separated, thus inducing multipoles. The object feels a time-averaged Lorentz force, RLF, associated to the field (i.e. Poynting) momentum flux, RMST, flowing into a far-field surface, (e.g. spherical as shown). However, there also appears a flow, IMST, of imaginary field momentum, related to momentum flux going back and forth across a near-field surface, with zero time-average, which accumulates reactive strength of orbital momentum, ROM, stored both inside and in the near-field of the object, and meanwhile yields a reactive force, ILF, on the body.

Credit

by Manuel Nieto-Vesperinas, Xiaohao Xu

Usage Restrictions

Credit must be given to the creator.

License

CC BY

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