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Tensors: NPTEL - Physics - Mathematical Physics - 1

This document provides an introduction to tensors. It discusses that physical formulas like force, current, and polarization are strictly true only for isotropic media and situations with high symmetry. For anisotropic systems, these formulas require generalization using tensors. It gives the example of a polarization tensor to relate the polarization components to the electric field components for an anisotropic medium. It also discusses preliminaries of tensors, including coordinate transformations, differentiation, Kronecker delta functions, and the Levi-Civita tensor used to define the vector cross product.

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Sushanta Kumar Roy
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111 views3 pages

Tensors: NPTEL - Physics - Mathematical Physics - 1

This document provides an introduction to tensors. It discusses that physical formulas like force, current, and polarization are strictly true only for isotropic media and situations with high symmetry. For anisotropic systems, these formulas require generalization using tensors. It gives the example of a polarization tensor to relate the polarization components to the electric field components for an anisotropic medium. It also discusses preliminaries of tensors, including coordinate transformations, differentiation, Kronecker delta functions, and the Levi-Civita tensor used to define the vector cross product.

Uploaded by

Sushanta Kumar Roy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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NPTEL Physics Mathematical Physics - 1

Module 5
Tensors
Lecture 24
Introduction

In this discussion, we present a very brief discussion on tensors. By no means,


the discussion is complete and the reader should consult specialist books such
as,

(i) Introduction to tensor calculus and continuum mechanics J. H.


Heinebockel (Trafford Publishing)
(ii) Principles and applications of tensor analysis by M. S. Smith
(Howard W. Sams & Co. Inc.)
(iii) Tensors by A. Das (Springer)
(iv) Schaums Tensor Calculus D. C. Kay (Mcgraw Hill)

Let us take some of the familiar expressions in physics, such as,

= (1a)

= (1b)

= (1c)

where symbols have usual meaning. Before putting them in use, we should
realize that these formulae are strictly true with m, and as mere numbers
and the situation in which they are valid are restricted to isotropic medium or a
system that possesses high symmetry. In practical situations, many of the
systems are anisotropic, such that acceleration () is not in the direction of the
applied force or the current () and the polarization are not in the direction of
the applied electric field .

In such a situation, one has to use a generalized form as in the following


(for Eq. 1(c))


( ) = ( ) ( )

where the entries in the columns correspond to components of the and in


cartesian coordinate system and are components of the polarizability tensor.

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NPTEL Physics Mathematical Physics - 1

In the same fashion we can talk about the mass tensor and the conductivity
tensor.

Preliminaries

If we have a N- dimensional space, , and let ( = 1 ) be the set of


coordinates in this space. Also let ( = 1, . ) be another set of
coordinate in the same space. Each of will depend on the N coordinates
and vice versa. The Cartesian coordinates (x, y, z) are related to the spherical
polar coordinates (, , ), both defined in 3 as,
= , = , = .
The inverse transformation is of the form,

2 +2
r = 2 + 2 + 2 , = 1 ( ) , = 1 ( )

Thus for the N- dimensional space, one can define,

= ( 1 , 2 ) 1 (1)

and = (1 , 2 . ) 1

Differentiation Eq. (1)


=
=1

1 (2)


and =
=1 1

using a summation convention where repeated indices are assumed to be


summed over, one can write Eq. (2) as,


= (3)

The above is a set of N equation, one for each i = (1N). Since is the
repeated index, it assumed to be summed over.

Also since s are independent of each other,

1 for =
={
0 for

The above equation also illustrates the definition of Kronecker delta function
defined by

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NPTEL Physics Mathematical Physics - 1

1 if
= {
0 if


Thus =

Similarly for the barred coordinates,



= , thus if { , , . } are independent variables, then


is the Kronecker delta, . The Kronecker delta corresponds to the identity

matrix. Since there are two free indices, it is a second rank tensor.

Similarly a third order Levi-Civita tensor is defined as,

1 if , , are cyclic nnnnnnnn


{= 1 if , , are counter clockwise
= 0 otherwise 00000000000000

The vector cross product is devoted using the Levi-Civita tensor as,

1 if i,j,k are cyclic

= -1 if i,j,k are counter clockwise

= 0 otherwise

Joint initiative of IITs and IISc Funded by MHRD Page 3 of 20

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