Radiation pressure and momentum in dielectrics

The persistent conflicts in radiation pressure theory, concerning the signs of the surface forces on dielectrics and the momenta carried by single-photon wavepackets in bulk media, are outlined. Measurements of the relevant quantities are reviewed and previous calculations are summarized and extended. Resolutions of the conflicts are proposed on the bases of the differing geometries of light beams and dielectric samples, and the partition of the momentum transfers between the components of coupled systems that separately carry the real and imaginary parts of the refractive index.