Monday, February 13, 2017

momentum - About photons and mirrors


If a photon hits a 'perfect' mirror (with no environment interference) would the mirror move a bit?



Answer



Yes. Actually photons exert pressure on any surfaces exposed to them. For example, photons emitted by the Sun exert pressure of $9.08 \mu N/m^2$ on the Earth.


Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_pressure



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