Maxwell's Equations in a Uniformly Rotating Dielectric Medium and the Wilson-Wilson Experiment

TL;DR

This paper presents a differential forms approach to Maxwell's equations in moving media, providing a clear framework to analyze the Wilson-Wilson experiment and related electromagnetic phenomena in rotating dielectric materials.

Contribution

It introduces a spacetime differential forms formulation for electromagnetics in moving media, simplifying problem-solving and clarifying the theoretical basis of the Wilson-Wilson experiment.

Findings

A new formulation clarifies the interpretation of the Wilson-Wilson experiment.

The differential forms approach simplifies the analysis of electromagnetic problems in moving media.

The framework addresses recent debates on the theoretical description of rotating dielectric media.

Abstract

This note offers a conceptually straightforward and efficient way to formulate and solve problems in the electromagnetics of moving media based on a representation of Maxwell's equations in terms of differential forms on spacetime together with junction conditions at moving interfaces. This framework is used to address a number of issues that have been discussed recently in this journal about the theoretical description underlying the interpretation of the Wilson-Wilson experiment.