Updating Maxwell with Electrons, Charge, and More Realistic Polarization

Abstract

Maxwell's equations describe the relation of charge and electric force almost perfectly even though electrons and permanent charge were not in his equations, as he wrote them. For Maxwell, all charge depended on electric field. Charge was induced and polarization was described by a single dielectric constant. Electrons, permanent charge, and polarization are important when matter is involved. Polarization of matter cannot be described by a single dielectric constant ${\varepsilon }_{\mathrm{r}}$ with reasonable realism today. Only vacuum is well described by a single dielectric constant ${\varepsilon }_{\mathrm{0}}$. Here, Maxwell's equations are rewritten to include permanent charge and any type of polarization. Rewriting is in one sense petty, and in another sense profound, in either case presumptuous. Rewriting confirms the legitimacy of electrodynamics. One cannot be sure ahead of time that a theory of electrodynamics without electrons or permanent charge (like Maxwell's equations as he wrote them) would be legitimate or not. After all, a theory cannot calculate the fields produced by charges (for example, electrons) that are not in the theory at all! After updating: (1) Maxwell's equations seem universal and exact. (2) Polarization must be described explicitly to use Maxwell`s equations in applications. (3) Conservation of total current (including displacement current ${\varepsilon }_{\mathrm{0\\ }}\frac{\mathrm{\partial }\boldsymbol{\mathrm{E}}}{\mathrm{\partial }t}$) becomes exact, independent of matter, allowing precise definition of electromotive force EMF in circuits.(4) Kirchhoff's current law becomes as exact as Maxwell`s equations themselves. (5) Conservation of total current needs to be satisfied in a wide variety of systems where it has not traditionally received much attention. (6) Classical chemical kinetics is seen to need revision to conserve current.