The conservation laws which follow from the field equations and their relation to the energy and momentum conservation laws are discussed. On the basis of the electrodynamics of slowly moving bodies, an expression is derived for the density of the force which acts on an isotropic inhomogeneous medium in an electromagnetic field. Attention is concentrated on elucidating the difference between the energymomentum tensors of Minkowski and Abraham. It is emphasized either of these can be used in practice to consider the exchange of energy and momentum between an emitter and a medium in which the emitter is placed. However, to analyze the processes in the medium itself, Abraham's should be used because it takes into account Abraham's volume force, which acts even on a homogeneous medium (whereas according to Minkowski no force acts at all on a transparent, homogeneous medium with density-independent permittivity in an electromagnetic field).

PT Journal Article
TI Remarks on forces and the energy-momentum tensor in macroscopic electrodynamics
AU Ginzburg V L
FAU Ginzburg VL
AU Ugarov V A
FAU Ugarov VA
DP 10 Jan, 1976
TA Phys. Usp.
VI 19
IP 1
PG 94-101
RX 10.1070/PU1976v019n01ABEH005127
URL https://ufn.ru/en/articles/1976/1/e/
SO Phys. Usp. 1976 Jan 10;19(1):94-101