Faraday tensor vs. Maxwell-Eistein tensor

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    Faraday Tensor
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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the differences and similarities between the Faraday tensor and the electromagnetic (EM) stress-energy tensor (SET) in General Relativity (GR). The Faraday tensor, a 2-form and antisymmetric tensor, describes the electromagnetic field in a relativistic context, while the EM stress-energy tensor is symmetric and of rank two, representing the energy and momentum of the EM field. The relationship between these tensors is established through the equation Tμν = FμαFαν - (1/4)gμνFαβFαβ, where the metric gμν is used to raise indices of the Faraday tensor. The discussion also touches on the distinction between Minkowskian and curved spacetime representations of these tensors.

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This discussion is beneficial for physicists, particularly those specializing in theoretical physics, general relativity, and electromagnetism, as well as students seeking to deepen their understanding of tensor analysis in the context of GR.

TrickyDicky
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I'm curious about what are the similarities and differences in GR between the EM field (Faraday) tensor, a 2-form and therefore antisymmetric tensor that describes the force of the EM field in the relativistic formuation of EM, and the EM field stress-energy tensor, the part of the SET that corresponds to the EM field and that is symmetric and also of rank two.
Is the first one the Minkowskian (flat spacetime) version and the second the curved spacetime version or is this distinction too simplistic?
 
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TrickyDicky said:
I'm curious about what are the similarities and differences in GR between the EM field (Faraday) tensor, a 2-form and therefore antisymmetric tensor that describes the force of the EM field in the relativistic formuation of EM, and the EM field stress-energy tensor, the part of the SET that corresponds to the EM field and that is symmetric and also of rank two.
Is the first one the Minkowskian (flat spacetime) version and the second the curved spacetime version or is this distinction too simplistic?
I have some difficulty parsing your post, but perhaps this is what you're asking.

The SET ( or EMT ) of the EM field is calculated from the Faraday tensor ([itex]\mathcal{F}[/itex]) thus
[tex] T_{\mu\nu} = \mathcal{F}_{\mu\alpha}\mathcal{F}^\alpha_\nu - \frac{1}{4}g_{\mu\nu} \mathcal{F}^{\alpha\beta}\mathcal{F}_{\alpha\beta} [/tex]
The metric gμv has been used to raise indices of [itex]\mathcal{F}[/itex].
 
Mentz114 said:
I have some difficulty parsing your post, but perhaps this is what you're asking.

The SET ( or EMT ) of the EM field is calculated from the Faraday tensor ([itex]\mathcal{F}[/itex]) thus
[tex] T_{\mu\nu} = \mathcal{F}_{\mu\alpha}\mathcal{F}^\alpha_\nu - \frac{1}{4}g_{\mu\nu} \mathcal{F}^{\alpha\beta}\mathcal{F}_{\alpha\beta} [/tex]
The metric gμv has been used to raise indices of [itex]\mathcal{F}[/itex].

Yes, that much I can gather from the wikipedia page, but there they use the contravariant form of the SET and the Minkowski metric.
 

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