Acoustic radiation stress in solids

It is shown that the radiation-induced static strains associated with acoustic waves propagating in solids are obtained directly from the virial theorem for an elastic continuum and that the radiation stresses result from combining the virial theorem with the Boltzmann-Ehrenfest principle of adiabatic invariance. The experimental confirmation of critical theoretical predictions in solids is reported. The implications of the results for the fundamental thermal properties of crystals are addressed.