Phenomenon · phenomenon:photon-drag-effect

Photon drag effect

Absorbed or redirected photon momentum generates a longitudinal electrical response in a material; the magnitude and polarity depend on the carrier and interface physics and need not follow the naive free-electron momentum-transfer sign. A momentum-transfer effect, distinct from the photovoltaic effect.

Optics and photonicsfirst reported 1970also: optical drag current

Atlas record: 3 claims reference this phenomenon — 3 established.

Explorerelations · matrix context · routes · sources · cite

conditions: solid · illumination required

3claims1enumerated routes0routes with complete-composition evidence1candidate routes not searched2cited sources

Relations

drives · 1

Incident radiation flux—drives→Photon drag effectestablished

absorbed or redirected radiation in a semiconductor or thin metal film supporting photon drag; the longitudinal response scales with the optical drive while its polarity is material- and interface-dependent

produces · 1

Photon drag effect—produces→Charge carriersestablished

member of · 1

Photon drag effect—member of→Photon momentumestablished

Matrix context

D = disequilibrium row · C = coupling family column. A cell reads the state of the atlas for that pair.

D.11 × C.32 · Incident radiation flux × Photon momentum · Established

family: Photon momentum (C.32)

Enumerated routes through this · 1

Incident radiation flux → Photon drag effect → Charge carriers → Electrical work3/3 est · candidate

Cited sources · 2

[1]
A. F. Gibson, M. F. Kimmitt, A. C. Walker. Photon drag in germanium (1970)
Applied Physics Letters 17, 75-77 · doi:10.1063/1.1653315 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-20 · record
[2]
J. H. Strait et al.. Revisiting the Photon-Drag Effect in Metal Films (2019)
Physical Review Letters 123, 053903 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.053903 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-20 · record

Cite this entity

Physical Transformation Atlas (2026). entity phenomenon:photon-drag-effect: Photon drag effect. Dataset revision rbfbfcbb70e57 (hash of the canonical data). https://physical-transformation-atlas.wldud5192.workers.dev/phenomenon/photon-drag-effect

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