A forgotten argument by Gordon uniquely selects Abraham's tensor as the energy-momentum tensor for the electromagnetic field in homogeneous, isotropic matter

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dc.creatorAntoci, S.
dc.creatorMihich, L.
dc.date1997-04-21
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T09:13:52Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T09:13:52Z
dc.descriptionGiven the present status of the problem of the electromagnetic energy tensor in matter, there is perhaps use in recalling a forgotten argument given in 1923 by W. Gordon. Let us consider a material medium which is homogeneous and isotropic when viewed in its rest frame. For such a medium, Gordon's argument allows to reduce the above mentioned problem to an analogous one, defined in a general relativistic vacuum, in presence of a suitably determined effective metric. For the latter problem the form of the Lagrangian is known already, hence the determination of the energy tensor is a straightforward matter. One just performs the Hamiltonian derivative of the Lagrangian chosen in this way with respect to the true metric. Abraham's tensor is thus selected as the electromagnetic energy tensor for a medium which is homogeneous and isotropic in its rest frame.
dc.descriptionPlain TeX, 9 pages, no figures, to appear in Nuovo Cimento B
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9704055
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9704055
dc.identifierNuovo Cim. B112 (1997) 991-1001
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/152478
dc.subjectGeneral Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
dc.subjectClassical Physics
dc.titleA forgotten argument by Gordon uniquely selects Abraham's tensor as the energy-momentum tensor for the electromagnetic field in homogeneous, isotropic matter
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