Elastic polarization ($\tau =\sigma -C^0\epsilon$)

The elastic polarization is the excess stress relative to a homogeneous comparison elastic stiffness tensor. In heterogeneous linear elasticity, $\tau =(C-C^0)\epsilon$. The comparison static elastic equilibrium equation gives the integral equation $\epsilon ={\epsilon }^0-\Gamma \tau$, where ${\epsilon }^0$ is the reference strain under the same external loading.