His name is most often associated with the Poynting–Robertson effect, the process by which solar radiation causes a dust mote orbiting a star to lose angular momentum, which he also described in terms of general relativity.
Namanya sangat sering dikaitkan dengan efek Poynting–Robertson, proses dimana radiasi matahari menyebabkan debut mengorbit bintang untuk mengalahkan angular momentum, yang ia juga deskripsikan dalam hal relativitas umum.