Physical Transformation AtlasPTA
Constraint · constraint:radiation-momentum-flux

Radiation momentum flux

Radiation pressure is set by the momentum flux of the radiation, I/c to 2I/c. In full sunlight (I ≈ 1 kW m⁻²) that is at most ≈ 6.7 µPa; a surface moving at 0.1 m s⁻¹ against it receives at most ≈ 7 × 10⁻⁷ W m⁻², so mechanical work from radiation pressure is confined to high-irradiance or micro-scale regimes.

Atlas record: 1 claim references this constraint — 1 established.

Explorerelations · sources · cite

p = I/c for full absorption, p ≤ 2I/c for perfect reflection at normal incidence; the mechanical power a moving surface can take from the pressure is at most p·v per unit area

1claims0enumerated routes0routes with complete-composition evidence0candidate routes not searched2cited sources

Relations

bounded by · 1
Radiation pressure—bounded by→Radiation momentum fluxestablished
  • p = I/c for full absorption and at most 2I/c for perfect reflection at normal incidence; the mechanical power per unit area a surface moving at speed v can take is at most p·v
The bound scopes the coupling by irradiance rather than declaring it impossible: in full sunlight it caps the mechanical power at ≈ 7 × 10⁻⁷ W m⁻² for a surface receding at 0.1 m s⁻¹, so a generator driven by radiation pressure is a micro-scale or high-irradiance proposition.

Cited sources · 2

  1. [1]
    L. D. Landau, E. M. Lifshitz, L. P. Pitaevskii. Electrodynamics of Continuous Media (Course of Theoretical Physics, Vol. 8, 2nd ed.) (1984)
    Pergamon · book, no DOI · record
  2. [2]
    E. F. Nichols, G. F. Hull. A Preliminary Communication on the Pressure of Heat and Light Radiation (1901)
    Physical Review (Series I) 13, 307-320 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevSeriesI.13.307 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-20 · record

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Physical Transformation Atlas (2026). entity constraint:radiation-momentum-flux: Radiation momentum flux. Dataset revision rbfbfcbb70e57 (hash of the canonical data). https://physical-transformation-atlas.wldud5192.workers.dev/e/constraint/radiation-momentum-flux

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