Fundamentals of the Phenomenological Theory of Electromagnetic Waves in Dielectric Media

Abstract

When densities and internal energies are not very high (before photon—electron interconversions occur), any macroscopic body represents a universe of interacting electrons and atomic nuclei. The properties of ordinary macroscopic bodies, whose average number of particles per unit volume does not exceed 10³⁰ cm⁻³, are chiefly determined by the electromagnetic interactions of their component particles. On the cosmic scale (earth, sun, stars, etc.), gravitational interactions play a considerable role. In extremely dense media (for example, white dwarfs), the macroscopic properties are also very greatly dependent upon nuclear forces.