Forces and momenta caused by electromagnetic waves in magnetoelectric media

We study electromagnetic waves in magnetoelectric media. Analysing the momenta and forces of the waves acting on a finite sample in crossed external electric and magnetic fields, we find that the total force caused by the virtual waves (“vacuum fluctuations”) is zero, in contrast to Feigel's prediction. We show that two irreducible parts of the magnetoelectric matrix cause different effects. An experimental scheme is proposed for the measurement of the magnetoelectric susceptibilities with the help of real electromagnetic waves.