Abstract

Opto-mechanical analogies have been derived by casting electromagnetic field conservation laws for linear anisotropic media as balance equations of continuous mechanics, starting only and exclusively from Maxwell equations. Focusing on the asymmetry of Maxwell stress tensor $\overline{\overline{T}}$, electromagnetic couple density $\mathbf{C}$ is obtained in terms of the antisymmetric part of $\overline{\overline{T}}$, by using an equivalent system of forces. By considering a wavefront as a discontinuity surface, analogies with impulsive dynamics and the double-layer model for anisotropic media have been suggested. The procedure is applied to impedance-matched metamaterials and the eikonal equation for these media is reobtained.

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