Radiation pressure
Mechanical pressure from electromagnetic radiation momentum exchange.
Last updated
It includes the momentum of light or electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength that is absorbed, reflected, or emitted by matter.[1] When an object interacts with an electromagnetic field, the resulting exchange of momentum creates a mechanical pressure known as radiation pressure.[1] In daily life, the forces from radiation pressure are usually too small to detect, but they play a significant role in space and in certain technologies.[2]
Quick Facts
- Concept proposed by
- Johannes Kepler (1619)
- Theoretical foundation
- James Clerk Maxwell (1862)
- First experimental proof
- Pyotr Lebedev (1900)
- Independent experimental proof
- Ernest Fox Nichols and Gordon Ferrie Hull (1901)
- Field
- Physics
- astrophysics
- optics
- Key application
- Laser cooling
- optical tweezers
- beam-powered propulsion
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Johannes Kepler proposed the concept in 1619 to explain why a comet's tail always points away from the Sun.[3] James Clerk Maxwell asserted in 1862 that light has momentum and exerts pressure on surfaces.[4] Russian physicist Pyotr Lebedev experimentally proved this in 1900, and Ernest Fox Nichols and Gordon Ferrie Hull did so in 1901.[4] Applications include laser cooling, quantum control of macroscopic objects, interferometry, and optical tweezers.[5]
Solar radiation pressure is a source of orbital perturbations and significantly affects small bodies and spacecraft.[6] The Yarkovsky effect results from temperature differences on a small body's faces, producing a net force that affects its motion.[7] For a perfectly absorbing surface oriented directly toward the Sun, the solar radiation pressure at a distance of 1 AU (the mean distance from the Sun to our planet) is approximately 4.5 micropascals.[8] Laser technology and the scientific fields that depend heavily on lasers and optical tools are fundamentally built upon radiation pressure forces.[5]
The YORP effect is a set of related phenomena that builds on the earlier Yarkovsky effect and influences the rotational characteristics of celestial bodies.[9]
What the research sources say
The JWST Momentum Management documentation states that solar photon pressure builds angular momentum in the reaction wheels during science observations.[10] The force from solar flux acting over the sun shield's outer layer represents a pressure.[10] Pitch and roll angles of most science attitudes do not align the center of pressure with the observatory's center of mass, creating a torque.[10] To prevent the reaction wheels from exceeding their capacity, the accumulated angular momentum must be discharged at intervals by using the spacecraft's thrusters.[10]
References
- Wikipedia, "Radiation pressure" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stellar Atmospheres, D. Mihalas (1978), Second edition, W. H. Freeman & Co.; Eddington, A. S., & Eddington, A. S. (1988). The internal constitution of the stars. Cambridge University Press.; Chandrasekhar, S. (2013). Radiative transfer. Courier Corporation. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Radiation pressure" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Eugene Hecht, "Optics", 4th edition, p. 57. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Radiation pressure" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Johannes Kepler, "De Cometis Libelli Tres", 1619 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Radiation pressure" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: P. Lebedew, 1901, "Untersuchungen über die Druckkräfte des Lichtes", Annalen der Physik, 1901 Series 4 6, 433-458.; Nichols, E. F & Hull, G. F. (1903) The Pressure due to Radiation, The Astrophysical Journal, Vol.17 No.5, p.315-351 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Radiation pressure" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cohen-Tannoudji, "Nobel Lecture: Manipulating atoms with photons", Reviews of Modern Physics, 1998-07-01, p. 707–719; Wineland, "Nobel Lecture: Superposition, entanglement, and raising Schrödinger's cat", Reviews of Modern Physics, 2013-07-12, p. 1103–1114; Weiss, "Nobel Lecture: LIGO and the discovery of gravitational waves I", Reviews of Modern Physics, 2018-12-18; Schirber, "Nobel Prize—Lasers as Tools", Physics, 2018-10-04 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Radiation pressure" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "JWST Momentum Management", jwst-docs.stsci.edu, 2022-07-22 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Radiation pressure" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Vokrouhlicky, "Yarkovsky and YORP effects", Scholarpedia, 2012-05-02 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Radiation pressure" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Georgevic, R. M. (1973) "The Solar Radiation Pressure Forces and Torques Model", The Journal of the Astronautical Sciences, Vol. 27, No. 1, Jan–Feb. First known (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Radiation pressure" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "What is the YORP effect?", Catalina Sky Survey; Vokrouhlicky, "Yarkovsky and YORP effects", Scholarpedia, 2012-05-02 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "JWST Momentum Management", jwst-docs.stsci.edu, 2022-07-22. facts only, no text reused. jwst-docs.stsci.edu
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Radiation pressure (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Electromagnetism And Radiation
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Radiation pressure (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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