An electromagnetic analogue of gravitational wave memory

Abstract

We present an electromagnetic analog of gravitational wave memory. That is, we consider what change has occurred to a detector of electromagnetic radiation after the wave has passed. Rather than a distortion in the detector, as occurs in the gravitational wave case, we find a residual velocity (a "kick") to the charges in the detector. In analogy with the two types of gravitational wave memory ("ordinary" and "nonlinear") we find two types of electromagnetic kick.