Adam B. Cahaya is an Associate Professor of Physics at Universitas Indonesia. He has abundant accomplishments like developing our fundamental understanding of how light’s momentum interacts with matter. In particular, his recent exploration of the more theoretical realm of condensed matter physics. His main research interests are spin dynamics and quantum phenomena in nanoscale systems.
Cahaya has received both a Bachelor of Science as well as a Doctor of Science degree. This profound educational knowledge equips him with a strong base for his investigative job. His research mainly focuses on understanding the spin of moving electrons and the dynamics of magnons and photons in different materials. In a pioneering new study, Cahaya wades into the controversy that has raged for over a century. They go on to examine how the momentum of light interacts with matter.
Published in the journal Physical Review A, his work titled “Zitterbewegung, momentum, and spin dynamics of electromagnetic waves in a linear dielectric medium” presents a novel perspective on this longstanding issue. Cahaya crafted equations of motion for light in a medium, structured similarly to the iconic Dirac equation, which governs relativistic quantum mechanics. This approach provides a beautiful and profound insight into the observation and interpretation of the motion of light as it penetrates through diverse propagating mediums.
Cahaya’s findings reveal a unified description of light’s momentum by projecting momentum onto spin. This innovative framework harmonizes two historically divergent views on light’s momentum: the Minkowski and Abraham perspectives. By making this important distinction, Cahaya sheds light on a debate that has raged for more than a hundred years.
The consequences of Cahaya’s research reach far beyond the realm of theoretical physics. His insights may influence various applications, including optical technologies and materials science, where the interaction between light and matter plays a crucial role.
