The energy-momentum tensor of the electromagnetic field with a non-zero trace, the virial theorem and plasma equilibrium

Abstract

The zero trace of the known energy-momentum tensors (EMT) of the electromagnetic field (EMF) leads to contradictions in the virial theorem for a system of charged particles and incorrect conclusions on the equilibrium state of the plasma. From the EMF and induction tensors, in the form of their matrix product, a EMT with a non-zero trace is obtained. Its trace is a quadratic invariant of the EMF. The consequences of the new EMT for electromagnetic forces, the virial theorem and the conditions of the equilibrium state of a system of charged particles and long-lived plasma phenomena are shown.