Electrodynamics of Continua I

Book excerpt: The electrodynamics of continua is a branch ofthe physical sciences concerned with the interaction of electromagnetic fields with deformable bodies. De formable bodies are considered to be continua endowed with continuous distributions of mass and charge. The theory of electromagnetic continua is concerned with the determination of deformations, motions, stress, and elec tromagnetic fields developed in bodies upon the applications of external loads. External loads may be of mechanical origin (e.g., forces, couples, constraints placed on the surface of the body, and initial and boundary conditions arising from thermal and other changes) and/or electromagnetic origin (e.g., electric, magnetic, and current fields). Because bodies of different constitutions respond to external stimuli in a different way, it is imperative to characterize properly the response functions relevant to a given class of continua. This is done by means of the constitutive theory. For example, an elastic dielectric responds to electromagnetic fields in a totally different way than a magnetic fluid. The present book is intended to present a unified approach to the subject matter, based on the principles of contemporary continuum physics.