For a spherical grain of diameter , density , and radiation-pressure efficiency , comparison of the stellar momentum flux with Newton's law of universal gravitation gives the radiation-pressure coefficient
For much larger than the characteristic stellar wavelength, , so . When becomes comparable to the optical wavelength, diffraction and the grain's composition make size dependent and reaches a broad maximum. Deep in the Rayleigh scattering regime, absorption can give and hence nearly constant , while scattering alone gives and hence . A realistic curve therefore rises roughly as toward micron sizes, turns over near the stellar spectral peak, and falls or flattens for still smaller grains.