Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mphil-in-micro-and-nanotechnology-enterprise-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2023/paper-2/section-a-iii/19/i/solution
Past exam of the MPhil in micro- and nanotechnology enterprise course of the University of Cambridge 2023 Paper 2 Section A(iii) 19 i Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
Refraction changes the propagation direction, and hence the momentum, of transmitted light. The particle receives the opposite momentum change by conservation of momentum. For a ray carrying power , a useful force scale iswith corrections for reflected rays and their momentum fluxes. Here is the surrounding refractive index; this is a ray-force scaling rather than a complete electromagnetic stress calculation.
For fixed geometry and refractive indices, , so the force contribution is proportional to the local intensity . Refraction toward the normal on entry and away from the normal on exit must both be included: a force inferred from only the first interface can have the wrong direction.
The specified size is larger than the wavelength, so a geometrical optics treatment is appropriate despite the generic “nanoparticle” label. A dipole/Rayleigh-particle formula would use the opposite size limit.
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