| Title |
On the Physical Meaning of Maxwell Stress Tensor |
| Authors |
최홍순(Choi, Hong-Soon) ; 박일한(Park, Il-Han) ; 문원규(Moon, Won-Kyu) |
| Keywords |
Maxwell stress tensor ; Electromagnetic force ; Body force ; Mechanical stress ; Solid mechanics ; Mechanical dynamics ; Hydrostatics |
| Abstract |
Maxwell stress tensor is one of the methods which are generally used for electromagnetic force calculation. In this paper, it is presented that Maxwell stress tensor T and n·T have no physical meaning and therefore should not be used as sources of mechanical force for deformations or dynamics. The divergence of Maxwell stress tensor { nabla}·T is the one which can acquire a physical identity and is electromagnetic body force density by an action at a distance like a gravity. This result can be derived from the principle of power balance, and also verified by some thought experiments. The virtual air-gap approach is proposed as a valid solution for the calculation of the body force. |