2010/12/31 by Wen-Zhuo Zhang, Wenzhuo Zhang, Peng Zhang +4
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Equivalence (formal languages) #Mathematical physics #Mathematics #Minkowski space #Momentum (technical analysis) #Orbital Angular Momentum in Optics #Physics #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum electrodynamics #Quantum mechanics #Recoil #physics.atom-ph #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreva.85.053604
published as Phys. Rev. A 85, 053604 (2012) · 4 pages, 3 figures
arxiv created 2011/07/18 · openalex publication_date 2012/05/07 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · arxiv updated 2018/12/17 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We design an experimental system to test the equivalence between the canonical and Minkowski momentum of light, which can provide a judgment on the recent resolution of the century-old Abraham-Minkowski controversy by S. M. Barnett [Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 070401 (2010)]. By measuring the recoil momentum of ultracold rubidium atoms in a rubidium Bose-Einstein condensate after the electromagnetically induced absorption of a monochromatic laser pulse, the momentum of the pulse in the ultracold atoms can be obtained. If the equivalence is valid, the measured results will coincide with the theoretical values of the canonical momentum of the pulse. Otherwise, if the equivalence is invalid, the measured results will coincide with the theoretical values of the Minkowski momentum, which are significantly different from that of the canonical momentum. Our scheme is amethod to test the equivalence between the canonical and Minkowski momentum of light. It can also be improved to distinguish between the Minkowski and Abraham momenta to contribute to the study of the Abraham-Minkowski controversy in the future.