Electromagnetic Force in Dispersive and Transparent Media

TL;DR

This paper extends a hydrodynamic-type macroscopic theory to better understand electromagnetic forces in dispersive, dissipative media, clarifying its algebraic consistency and validity range, especially regarding dissipation effects.

Contribution

It provides detailed algebraic reduction of the new theory to known results and discusses the theory's applicability limits in dissipative media.

Findings

Algebraic consistency with previous models established

Clarification of the theory's validity range for dissipation

Enhanced understanding of electromagnetic forces in complex media

Abstract

A hydrodynamic-type, macroscopic theory was set up recently to simultaneously account for dissipation and dispersion of electromagnetic field, in nonstationary condensed systems of nonlinear constitutive relations~\cite{JL}. Since it was published in the letter format, some algebra and the more subtle reasonings had to be left out. Two of the missing parts are presented in this paper: How algebraically the new results reduce to the known old ones; and more thoughts on the range of validity of the new theory, especially concerning the treatment of dissipation.