Electromagnetic radiation force on a perfect electromagnetic conductor (PEMC) circular cylinder

Abstract Unlike isotropic dielectric objects, the interaction of incident electromagnetic (EM) or optical waves with a material allowing rotary polarization produces coupled polarized internal and scattered fields. The aim of this investigation is to examine theoretically a novel physical effect, which concerns the contributions of the co-polarized and cross-polarized fields to the radiation force (per-length) experienced by an infinitely long perfect electromagnetic conductor (PEMC) cylinder having a circular cross-section and illuminated by TM-polarized plane progressive waves propagating perpendicularly to its axis. The multipole partial-wave series expansion method in cylindrical coordinates is used to derive exact series expansions for the co-polarized and cross-polarized components of the longitudinal radiation force per-length (i.e. acting along the direction of wave propagation). In contrast with the perfect electric or magnetic conductors (PECs or PMCs), or the dielectric cylinder case, numerical illustrative results for the radiation force function (which is the radiation force per unit energy density and cross-sectional surface) clearly demonstrate the contribution of the cross-polarized component of the radiation force for a PEMC cylinder allowing rotary polarization. The results show that the cross-polarized component of the radiation force function can be positive or negative as the dimensionless frequency parameter ka varies (where k is the wavenumber in the medium of wave propagation and a is the radius of the cylinder). Moreover, it vanishes for ka  = 0.67946 regardless of the admittance of the PEMC cylinder. Notice that the total force (i.e. the sum of the co-polarized and cross-polarized components) is always repulsive (i.e., positive). It is also verified that the results are in complete agreement with the law of energy conservation applied to scattering. The present analysis generalizes the classical radiation force investigations by introducing extra new terms in the series expansion for the longitudinal radiation force function for cylindrical materials allowing rotary polarization.