Detecting Abraham's force of light by the Fresnel-Fizeau effect

The issue of the form that the energy tensor of the electromagnetic field should be given in matter is reconsidered, and the neat derivation of Abraham's tensor once provided by W. Gordon is recollected. In order to extend to the high frequency domain the experimental evidence gathered up to now in favour of Abraham's tensor, a method for detecting the Abraham's force supposedly exerted by light on a transparent, homogeneous medium is outlined. It avails of the Fresnel-Fizeau effect associated with the motion of matter that should be caused by the above mentioned force. © EDP Sciences Springer-Verlag 1998.