Flashcards: Electric and magnetic fields in matter

Magnetostriction (cf. electrostriction) is a property of ferromagnetic materials that causes them to change their shape or dimensions during the process of magnetization.

The magnetic moment of a magnet is a quantity that determines the torque it will experience in an external magnetic field.

Total internal reflection is the phenomenon which occurs when a propagated wave strikes a medium boundary at an angle larger than a particular with respect to the normal to the surface.

Diamagnetic materials create an induced magnetic field in a direction opposite to an externally applied magnetic field, and are repelled by the applied magnetic field.

In condensed matter physics, the Fermi surface is an abstract boundary in reciprocal space useful for predicting the thermal, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties of metals, semimetals, and doped semiconductors.

A dielectric material (dielectric for short) is an electrical insulator that can be polarized by an applied electric field.

Paramagnetism is a form of magnetism whereby certain materials are attracted by an externally applied magnetic field, and form internal, induced magnetic fields in the direction of the applied magnetic field.

In solid-state physics, the electron mobility characterizes how quickly an electron can move through a metal or semiconductor, when pulled by an electric field.

A temperature coefficient describes the relative change of a physical property that is associated with a given change in temperature.

In physics and engineering, a constitutive equation or constitutive relation is a relation between two physical quantities (especially kinetic quantities as related to kinematic quantities) that is specific to a material or substance, and approximates the response of that material to external stimuli, usually as applied fields or forces.

The absorption of electromagnetic radiation by water depends on the state of the water.

The neutron magnetic moment is the intrinsic magnetic dipole moment of the neutron, symbol μn.

A magnetic dipole is the limit of either a closed loop of electric current or a pair of poles as the dimensions of the source are reduced to zero while keeping the magnetic moment constant.

The Fermi contact interaction is the magnetic interaction between an electron and an atomic nucleus when the electron is inside that nucleus.