Metric-Induced Principal Symbols in Nonlinear Electrodynamics
Optics
2026-02-25 v2 General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Mathematical Physics
math.MP
Abstract
We present a geometrical formulation of nonlinear electrodynamics by expressing its principal symbol as an optical metric-induced object. Under the assumption of no birefringence, we show that the evolution of linear perturbations can be recast as a covariant divergence on a curved, field-dependent background, enabling the application of quantum field theory techniques as in Maxwell's theory in curved backgrounds. This geometric reformulation opens a new route for analogue models potentially implementable in laboratory via tailored nonlinear metamaterials.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2508.09859,
title = {Metric-Induced Principal Symbols in Nonlinear Electrodynamics},
author = {Érico Goulart and Eduardo Bittencourt},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2508.09859},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
12 pages. This version matches the published one