On the Symmetry of the Electromagnetic Stress Tensor.

Max Abraham

Abstract This is a raw translation of Abraham s paper "Zur Frage der Symmetrie des elektromagnetischen Spannungstensors", Zs. Phys. 15 (1914) 537-544. Since this symmetry is a key issue of the Abraham-Minkowski controversy, this paper is made available to a broader public.

[537] In a remark published recently in this journal1 , Mr. K. Schapownikow claims that there is a contradiction between the Maxwellian theory on the one hand and certain theorems of the electron theory on the other hand with respect to the ponderomotoric angular actions of a light wave. This statement must look strange from the very beginning, for the essential dierence between both theories consists not so much in their statements about the ctious stresses, but in the fact, that, within the electron theory, the force excerted by these stresses is supplemented by a force which is raised by the temporal decrease of the electromagnetic momentum and which is foreign to the MaxwellHertzian theory. However, this electromagnetic force of inertia plays a role in non-stationary processes only. In stationary radiation elds, its temporal mean value equals zero, so that the forces acting upon the electrons of a body have got the same amount and the same torque as the Maxwellian surface forces. The contradiction between both theories found by Mr. Schapownikow bases as we will show merely on a misunderstanding of the meaning of the corresponding theorems of electromagnetism; it yields an enlightening example of how one should not deal with the ctious stresses. In what follow, I wish to deal shortly
Translated by P. Enders; enders@dekasges.de; for the few changes of notation, see the Appendix 1 K. Schapownikow, Ann. d. Phys. 43. p. 473. 1914

with this example and complement it with few more general remarks on the symmetry of the electromagnetic stress tensor. ~ i the electrical eld strength and D ~ i the electrical exci[538] Be E tation2 within a crystal; between the components of both vectors, at appropriate choice of coordinate axes, the following equations exist.
i i = "1 Ex ; Dx i i Dy = "2 Ey ; i i Dz = "3 Ez

(1)

Now, imagine a small plate inside the crystal of thickness dz , the basic planes of which are squares of 1 cm2 parallel to the xy -plane. Does an electrical eld excert a torque upon this plate? In order to answer this question, the theoretician has to proceed in his mind in the same manner as the experimentalist who wish to investigate whether rotating forces act upon the plate. Viz, he hast rst to detract the plate from the body of the crystal, so that it becomes moveable independently of that. After this way the mechanical connection with the remaining crystal has been relaxed, the plate is surrounded by a thin vacuum layer. Within that layer, an area be constructed which includes the plate; the unit vector, ~ n, pointing towards the external normal. Then, the electrical area force per unit area equals T e = EEn 1 2 ~ nE 2 (2)

The resulting moment of these area forces yields the sought torque. ~ denotes the electrical eld strength and, at once, the In eq.(2), E electrical excitation in vacuo, and not as Mr. Schapownikow seems to believe the eld strength within the crystal. The relationship between ~ on the one hand and the electrical vectors E ~ i, D ~ i in the crystal, E on the other hand, is given through the known boundary conditions of electromagnetism which require the continuity of the normal components of the excitation and of the tangential components of the eld strength. Accounting for eqs.(1), they yield the following. [539] I. For the lateral planes perpendicular to the x-axis,
i i Ez = Dz = "1 Ez ; i Ey = Ey ;

(3)

II. For the lateral planes perpendicular to the y -axis,

i ; Ez = Ez i i Ey = Dy = "2 Ey :

(4)

The z -components vanishe in a light wave propagating along the z -axis. For this, only a normal pressure, which does not excert an angular momentum, acts upon the plate. In contrast, the area forces acting upon
2

The nowadays notion dielectric displacementrefers to Maxwell s view (PE)

the lateral planes of area dz 3 yield angular momenta around the z -axis. The normal stresses at the planes perpendicular to the x-axis cause a pair of forces, the value of which follows from (2) and (3) as
i i Yx dz = Ey Ex dz = "1 Ex Ey dz

(5)

Further, according to (2) and (4), the normal stresses at the lateral planes perpendicular to the y -axis yield the pair of forces Xy dz = Ex Ey dz =
i i Ey dz "2 Ex

(6)

The resulting angular momentum of the ponderomotoric forces of the electrical eld with respect to the z -axis thus amounts to (in rational units) i i m3 dz = ("1 "2 ) Ex Ey dz (7) I have not introduced the magnetic area forces, because they do not contribute to the resulting angular momentum in magnetically isotropic crystals. Formula (7) agrees indeed with the one mentioned by Schapownikow, which has been derived by A. Sadowsky from the Maxwellian theory. It indicates the existence of a pair of forces for a crystal plate, which transforms linearly polarized light in circularly polarized one. However, one realizes this is a remarkable result that this pair of forces emerges only, if the light waves apply to the lateral boundary surfaces of the plate. This example makes is rather clear, how di cult it is to decide experimentally between the assumptions of a symmetric or asymmetric stress tensor. Even if one assumes, that [540] within the homogeneous crystal the electromagnetic stress tensor is symmetric, and that therefore the single crystal particle is not acted upon by angular forces4 created by its neighbours altogether, such angular forces do occour as soon as one cuts o a particle and thus causes free electrical charges on its surface. Therefore, the existence of such angular forces does not at all imply the asymmetry of the stress tensor within the crystal. For this, the issue of the symmetry or asymmetry of the electromagnetic stress tensor is still under discussion. Maxwell5 makes for the electromagnetic area force the ansatz ^=E ~ :D ~n + H ~ :B ~n T
3

~ n

1 2 1 2 E + H 2 2

(8)

This, ie, the original "Flcheninhalt dz " is certainly a typo. (PE) Perhaps, angular forces("Drehkraefte") mean angular momenta(PE) 5 J. Cl. Maxwell, Treatise II. Art. 641.
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In crystals, it leads to an asymmetric system of nine stress components. In contrast, after H. Hertz,6 ~ :D ~ n + 1D ~ :E ~n + 1H ~ :B ~n + 1B ~ :H ~n ^ = 1E T 2 2 2 2 1~ ~ 1~ ~ E D+ H B 2 2 (9) ~ ~ ~ ~ Here, even if E and D, H and B are not parallel, the stresses become pair-wise equal: ~ n Yx = Xy ; Zy = Yz ; Xz = Zx (9a)

Consequently, within the crystal, the angular momenta of the electromagnetic forces vanishe; the stress tensor reduces to a symmetric system of only six components. Most representations of the Maxwell-Hertzian theory favourize the Hertzian symmetric stress tensor.7 The Maxwellian asymmetric stress tensor yields, that, within a crystal in an electrical eld, the neighbours excert angular forces upon a crystalline particle. These angular forces would have to be compensated by rotating elastic forces, which are unknown to the common theory of elasticity. An [541] asymmetric electromagnetic [stress]8 tensor would thus be admissible only within the framework of a correspondingly extended theory of elasticity. As shown by means of the example above, the fact, that angular forces act upon a crystal in an electrical eld does not at all imply the existence of internal angular momenta. The theory of electrons starts with the "microscopic" elds which are created by the single electrons in vacuo. In these elds, the electromagnetic stress tensor is always symmetric, as being visible from the expression of the electromagnetic area force: ^=E ~ :E ~n + H ~ :H ~n T ~ n 1 2 1 2 E + H 2 2 (10)

After H. A. Lorentz, the vectors of the macroscopic elds in matter emerge from the eld strengths of the microscopic elds in vacuo through averaging them over physically innitesimal domains. In order to come to the stresses of the macroscopic elds, one can choose between two ways.
H. Hertz, Ges. Werke II. p. 280. The additional stresses stemming from the dependence of the electrical and magnetic constants on the deformation tensor are discarded here. 7 Cf Encyclopaedie der mathem. Wissenschaften, Art. V, 14 (H. A. Lorentz). Nr. 23; Art. V, 16 (F. Pockels). Nr. 1. 8 Omitted words are added in square brackets (PE)
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A. First one calculates the resulting force and angular force for a physically innitesimal volume element through composing the forces acting upon its electrons according to the rules of statics. Then, one soughts to derive these force and angular force from ctious area forces. This way, chosen by H. A. Lorentz9 , seems to lead in some cases to an asymmetric stress tensor. B. One denes every component of the macroscopic stress tensor through averaging the corresponding tensor component of the microscopic eld over physically innitesimal domains. In this case, the symmetry property of the [stress] tensor (10) of the microscopic eld carries over to the macroscopic eld, since the symmetry conditions, Xy = Yx ; Yz = Zy ; Zx = Xz (10a)

[542] persist during averaging over the same domain. The actual calculation of the six stress components as functions of the vector components of the macroscopic elds needs to consider the electrical constitution of the molecules in more detail.10 However, the second way appears to be the more direct one; it leads to the requirement of a symmetric stress tensor as the closest one from the point of view of the theory of electrons. In the theory of electrons, the ponderomotoric force per unit volume is determined not solely by the spatial derivatives of the stress [tensor] components, but also by the temporal derivatives of the electromagnetic momentum density, ~ g . The vector of momentum density is connected with Poynting s energy ow as ~ g= ~ S c2 (11)

I would like to term it the "Theorem of the momentum of energy ow ".11 Originally, this theorem refers to the microscopic electronic elds in vacuo. It remains valid within the ponderable bodies, if one denes the macroscopic values of the energy ux and momentum density denes via the same spatio-temporal domains. According to this viewpoint, the
9

H. A. Lorentz, Encyclopaedie der mathem. Wissenschaften, Art. V, 14. Nr.

53. Of course, the [stress] tensor which results through averaging the [stress] tensor of the microscopic elds cannot immediately be compared with that of the MaxwellHertzian theory, since - in contrast to that tensor - it does not vanish together with the macroscopic eld. 11 M. Laue (Das Relativitaetsprinzip, 2nd ed., p. 164) calls eq. (11) the "theorem of the inertia of energy". I would like to prefer to use this terminus for the relation between energy and inertial mass which results from it through the integration over "complete static systems".
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relationships 1 1 1 (11a) cgx = Sx ; cgy = Sy ; cgz = Sz c c c hold true also within the electromagnetism of moving bodies. Finally, for the energy density, the theory of electrons puts the expression 1 1 (12) = E2 + H 2 2 2 [543] From it and (10) follows Xx + Yy + Zz + =0 (12a)

This relation remains valid, if one changes via averaging from the microscopic eld in vacuo to the macroscopic eld in matter, even if one deals with moving bodies or crystals. In the scheme of the theory of relativity, the nine stress components, the six components of the momentum density and the energy density understood to be 16 components of a four-dimensional tensor. The principle of relativity does not tell, whether this tensor is symmetric or asymmetric. H. Minkowski12 assumes it to be non-symmetric. This view has recently been supported by J. Ishiwara13 . In contrast, I have developed a theory of the electromagnetism of moving isotropic bodies14 , in which the world tensor is symmetric. The symmetry with respect to the diagonal includes the relations (10a, 11a) and reduces the number of [independent] tensor components. The diagonal elements are related to another through eq. (12a). Therefore, the tensor components obey all the relations which one obtains along the way mentioned above from the theory of electrons. This fact favours my theory. Of course, its correctness cannot be uniquely proven, as it cannot be done for the validity of the Maxwellian energy distribution or of the Poyntingian energy ux in the electromagnetic eld. Though the choice of the electromagnetic world tensor is, to a certain degree, arbitrary, nevertheless, one should not relax the requirement of symmetry, which includes the theorem of the momentum of the energy ow [eq. (11)], without [544] compelling reason. This theorem, which M. Planck15 has postulated to be valid for energy currents of arbitrary kind and which I have applied to the gravitation eld16 , contains the germ of a general energetics of physical elds.
H. Minkowski, Gttinger Nachr. 1908. p. 53. J. Ishiwara, Ann. d. Phys. 42. p. 986. 1913. 14 M. Abraham, Rendiconti del circolo mat. di Palermo 28. p. 1. 19091 ; 30. p. 33. 19102 . 15 M. Planck, Phys. Zeitschr. 9. p. 828. 1908. 16 M. Abraham, Phys. Zeitschr. 13. p. 1. 1912.
13 12

Milan, March 12, 1914. (Received March 15, 1914.)

Appendix. Comments by the translator

Abraham s paper is formally presented at it is; it has no abstract and no sections. Original letters in Fractur have been replaced with Latin ^). letters, where vector (tensor) quantities bear an arrow (hat) like ~ v (T The highlighting of names of persons is displayed as Small Caps. I feel highly indebted to Prof. Hagen Kleinert and Prof. Jos-Louis Lpez-Bonilla for their support.