scholarly journals Maxwell Equations without a Polarization Field, Using a Paradigm from Biophysics

Entropy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 172
Author(s):  
Robert S. Eisenberg

When forces are applied to matter, the distribution of mass changes. Similarly, when an electric field is applied to matter with charge, the distribution of charge changes. The change in the distribution of charge (when a local electric field is applied) might in general be called the induced charge. When the change in charge is simply related to the applied local electric field, the polarization field P is widely used to describe the induced charge. This approach does not allow electrical measurements (in themselves) to determine the structure of the polarization fields. Many polarization fields will produce the same electrical forces because only the divergence of polarization enters Maxwell’s first equation, relating charge and electric forces and field. The curl of any function can be added to a polarization field P without changing the electric field at all. The divergence of the curl is always zero. Additional information is needed to specify the curl and thus the structure of the P field. When the structure of charge changes substantially with the local electric field, the induced charge is a nonlinear and time dependent function of the field and P is not a useful framework to describe either the electrical or structural basis-induced charge. In the nonlinear, time dependent case, models must describe the charge distribution and how it varies as the field changes. One class of models has been used widely in biophysics to describe field dependent charge, i.e., the phenomenon of nonlinear time dependent induced charge, called ‘gating current’ in the biophysical literature. The operational definition of gating current has worked well in biophysics for fifty years, where it has been found to makes neurons respond sensitively to voltage. Theoretical estimates of polarization computed with this definition fit experimental data. I propose that the operational definition of gating current be used to define voltage and time dependent induced charge, although other definitions may be needed as well, for example if the induced charge is fundamentally current dependent. Gating currents involve substantial changes in structure and so need to be computed from a combination of electrodynamics and mechanics because everything charged interacts with everything charged as well as most things mechanical. It may be useful to separate the classical polarization field as a component of the total induced charge, as it is in biophysics. When nothing is known about polarization, it is necessary to use an approximate representation of polarization with a dielectric constant that is a single real positive number. This approximation allows important results in some cases, e.g., design of integrated circuits in silicon semiconductors, but can be seriously misleading in other cases, e.g., ionic solutions.

Author(s):  
Robert Eisenberg

Electrodynamics is usually written using polarization fields to describe changes in distribution of charge as electric fields change. This approach does not specify polarization fields uniquely from electrical measurements. Many polarization fields will produce the same electrodynamic forces and flows because only divergence of polarization enters Maxwell’s first equation, relating charge and electric field. The curl of any function can be added to a polarization field without changing the electric field at all. The divergence of the curl is always zero. To be unique, models must describe the charge distribution and how it varies. I propose a different paradigm to describe field dependent charge, i.e., the phenomenon of polarization. This operational definition of polarization has worked well in biophysics for fifty years, where a field dependent, time dependent polarization provides gating current that makes neurons respond sensitively to voltage. Theoretical estimates of polarization computed with this definition fit experimental data. I propose that operational definition be used to define polarization charge in general. Charge movement needs to be computed from a combination of electrodynamics and mechanics because ‘everything interacts with everything else’. The classical polarization field need not enter into that treatment at all. When nothing is known about polarization, it is necessary to use an approximate representation with a dielectric constant that is a single real positive number. This approximation allows important results in some cases, e.g., design of integrated circuits in silicon semiconductors, but can be seriously misleading in other cases, e.g., ionic solutions.


Author(s):  
Robert Eisenberg

Electrodynamics is usually written using polarization fields to describe changes in distribution of charge as electric fields change. This approach does not specify polarization fields uniquely from electrical measurements. Many polarization fields will produce the same electrodynamic forces and flows because only divergence of polarization enters Maxwell’s first equation, relating charge and electric field. The curl of any function can be added to a polarization field without changing the electric field at all. The divergence of the curl is always zero. To be unique, models must describe the charge distribution and how it varies. I propose a different paradigm to describe field dependent charge, i.e., the phenomenon of polarization. This operational definition of polarization has worked well in biophysics for fifty years, where a field dependent, time dependent polarization provides gating current that makes neurons respond sensitively to voltage. Theoretical estimates of polarization computed with this definition fit experimental data. I propose that operational definition be used to define polarization charge in general. Charge movement needs to be computed from a combination of electrodynamics and mechanics because ‘everything interacts with everything else’. The classical polarization field need not enter into that treatment at all. When nothing is known about polarization, it is necessary to use an approximate representation with a dielectric constant that is a single real positive number. This approximation allows important results in some cases, e.g., design of integrated circuits in silicon semiconductors, but can be seriously misleading in other cases, e.g., ionic solutions.


Author(s):  
Q. D. Liu

The simulation of inhomogeneous creep around a circular hole in the center of ferroelectric plate is presented aiming for understanding the birefringence measurements around the hole. The time dependent fields of strain and polarization around the hole in response to its concentrated electric field effect can be determined using the finite element method. It was found that the electric field concentration factor by a hole can achieve 6 times of the applied loads and shows slightly time dependence; the creep of polarization and strains process is controlled by the local electric field magnitude, which governs the saturation of remnant polarization and strain. The result of geometric principal strain difference contours around the hole agrees with that of birefringence observation. The remnant polarization increased in a power-law relation with electric field magnitude, while the principal strain difference developed quadratically with the total electric displacement. Both experimental and numerical results suggest that the strain distributes around the hole and changes with time, which is controlled by both the local electric field magnitude and the saturation process. Although the inhomogeneities enhance fields locally, the saturated values of strain and polarization decrease with an increase in the defect volume.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-122
Author(s):  
Aleksandar Bulajić ◽  
Miomir Despotović ◽  
Thomas Lachmann

Abstract. The article discusses the emergence of a functional literacy construct and the rediscovery of illiteracy in industrialized countries during the second half of the 20th century. It offers a short explanation of how the construct evolved over time. In addition, it explores how functional (il)literacy is conceived differently by research discourses of cognitive and neural studies, on the one hand, and by prescriptive and normative international policy documents and adult education, on the other hand. Furthermore, it analyses how literacy skills surveys such as the Level One Study (leo.) or the PIAAC may help to bridge the gap between cognitive and more practical and educational approaches to literacy, the goal being to place the functional illiteracy (FI) construct within its existing scale levels. It also sheds more light on the way in which FI can be perceived in terms of different cognitive processes and underlying components of reading. By building on the previous work of other authors and previous definitions, the article brings together different views of FI and offers a perspective for a needed operational definition of the concept, which would be an appropriate reference point for future educational, political, and scientific utilization.


2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 193-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Norman

A series of vignette examples taken from psychological research on motivation, emotion, decision making, and attitudes illustrates how the influence of unconscious processes is often measured in a range of different behaviors. However, the selected studies share an apparent lack of explicit operational definition of what is meant by consciousness, and there seems to be substantial disagreement about the properties of conscious versus unconscious processing: Consciousness is sometimes equated with attention, sometimes with verbal report ability, and sometimes operationalized in terms of behavioral dissociations between different performance measures. Moreover, the examples all seem to share a dichotomous view of conscious and unconscious processes as being qualitatively different. It is suggested that cognitive research on consciousness can help resolve the apparent disagreement about how to define and measure unconscious processing, as is illustrated by a selection of operational definitions and empirical findings from modern cognitive psychology. These empirical findings also point to the existence of intermediate states of conscious awareness, not easily classifiable as either purely conscious or purely unconscious. Recent hypotheses from cognitive psychology, supplemented with models from social, developmental, and clinical psychology, are then presented all of which are compatible with the view of consciousness as a graded rather than an all-or-none phenomenon. Such a view of consciousness would open up for explorations of intermediate states of awareness in addition to more purely conscious or purely unconscious states and thereby increase our understanding of the seemingly “unconscious” aspects of mental life.


2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather M. Hermanson

The purpose of this study is to analyze the demand for reporting on internal control. Nine financial statement user groups were identified and surveyed to determine whether they agree that: (1) management reports on internal control (MRIC) are useful, (2) MRICs influence decisions, and (3) financial reporting is improved by adding MRICs. In addition, the paper examined whether responses varied based on: (1) the definition of internal control used (manipulated as broad, operational definition vs. narrow, financial-reporting definition) and (2) user group. The results indicate that financial statement users agree that internal controls are important. Respondents agreed that voluntary MRICs improved controls and provided additional information for decision making. Respondents also agreed that mandatory MRICs improved controls, but did not agree about their value for decision making. Using a broad definition of controls, respondents strongly agreed that MRICs improved controls and provided a better indicator of a company's long-term viability. Executive respondents were less likely to agree about the value of MRICs than individual investors and internal auditors.


Author(s):  
Flavio Mercati

This chapter explains in detail the current Hamiltonian formulation of SD, and the concept of Linking Theory of which (GR) and SD are two complementary gauge-fixings. The physical degrees of freedom of SD are identified, the simple way in which it solves the problem of time and the problem of observables in quantum gravity are explained, and the solution to the problem of constructing a spacetime slab from a solution of SD (and the related definition of physical rods and clocks) is described. Furthermore, the canonical way of coupling matter to SD is introduced, together with the operational definition of four-dimensional line element as an effective background for matter fields. The chapter concludes with two ‘structural’ results obtained in the attempt of finding a construction principle for SD: the concept of ‘symmetry doubling’, related to the BRST formulation of the theory, and the idea of ‘conformogeometrodynamics regained’, that is, to derive the theory as the unique one in the extended phase space of GR that realizes the symmetry doubling idea.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunzheng Lv ◽  
Lirong He ◽  
Jiahong Tang ◽  
Feng Yang ◽  
Chuhong Zhang

AbstractAs an important photoconductive hybrid material, perylene/ZnO has attracted tremendous attention for photovoltaic-related applications, but generally faces a great challenge to design molecular level dispersed perylenes/ZnO nanohybrids due to easy phase separation between perylenes and ZnO nanocrystals. In this work, we reported an in-situ reaction method to prepare molecular level dispersed H-aggregates of perylene bisimide/ZnO nanorod hybrids. Surface photovoltage and electric field-induced surface photovoltage spectrum show that the photovoltage intensities of nanorod hybrids increased dramatically for 100 times compared with that of pristine perylene bisimide. The enhancement of photovoltage intensities resulting from two aspects: (1) the photo-generated electrons transfer from perylene bisimide to ZnO nanorod due to the electric field formed on the interface of perylene bisimide/ZnO; (2) the H-aggregates of perylene bisimide in ZnO nanorod composites, which is beneficial for photo-generated charge separation and transportation. The introduction of ordered self-assembly thiol-functionalized perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide (T-PTCDI)/ ZnO nanorod composites induces a significant improvement in incident photo-to-electron conversion efficiency. This work provides a novel mentality to boost photo-induced charge transfer efficiency, which brings new inspiration for the preparation of the highly efficient solar cell.


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