radiation pressure

radiation pressure

Force per unit area exerted by waves or particles of radiation, especially photons. Though photons have no mass, they do have momentum, and can transfer that momentum to other particles upon impact. The amount of pressure exerted by a given amount of radiation depends on whether the radiation is absorbed or reflected. Radiation pressure is responsible for the Casimir effect; solar radiation pressure is exploited in the design of solar sails.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

radiation pressure - the minute pressure exerted on a surface normal to the direction of propagation of a wave corpuscular-radiation pressure acoustic radiation pressure - (acoustics) the pressure exerted on a surface normal to the direction of propagation of a sound wave force per unit area, pressure, pressure level - the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit); "the compressed gas exerts an increased pressure"