Radiation Pressure: a Laser Beam Has a Wavelength of 633

question 27

Essay

Radiation pressure: A laser beam has a wavelength of 633 nm and a power of 0.500 mW spread uniformly over a circle 1.20 mm in diameter. This beam falls perpendicularly on a perfectly reflecting piece of paper having twice the diameter of the laser beam and a mass of 1.50 mg. (c = 3.00 × 10⁸ m/s, μ₀ = 4π × 10^-7 T ∙ m/A, ε₀ = 8.85 × 10^-12 C²/N ∙ m²)
(a) What are the amplitudes of the electric and magnetic fields in this laser beam?
(b) What acceleration does the laser beam give to the paper?

---

Definitions:

Placenta

An organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy, providing oxygen and nutrients to the growing baby and removing waste products.

Phenotypic Plasticity

The degree to which the phenotype is open to influence by the environment rather than determined by the genotype.

Environmental Conditions

The various physical, chemical, and biological factors that surround and affect the life and development of organisms.

Genotypic Plasticity

The ability of an organism's genotype to produce different phenotypes in response to varying environmental conditions.