The Energy-Momentum Tensor of Electromagnetic Waves in Media and the Solution to the Abraham-Minkowski Dilemma

Abstract: We find that the energy-dynamic tensor of electromagnetic wave in medium defined by Lagrange density is very similar to that of ordinary fluid, and density and pressure can be defined similarly. The pressure here is different from the traditional light pressure. On this basis, we discuss the average momentum, pressure and Bernoulli effect of electromagnetic wave. After considering the contribution of the interaction term, we obtain a new conserved energy-momentum tensor, from which Minkowski momentum and Abraham momentum are derived simultaneously. The difference between them is whether the contribution of pressure is included in momentum. When the pressure significantly affects the experimental results, the experiment will support Minkowski momentum. On the contrary, Abraham momentum is supported. The findings of this paper provide a new solution to the Abraham-Minkowski Dilemma.