Are permittivity and permeability quantities that can be predicted?

[DuckAmuck]

TL;DR Summary

Can these be derived from other chemical properties?

For example, can you predict the permittivity and permeability of a substance if you know what the atomic composition is? Is it a stat mech problem?

 

[DrDu]

Yes, it is possible to calculate the permittivity of a substance ab initio.
The theory is not elementary:
http://susi.theochem.tuwien.ac.at/events/ws2015/rolask_optic.pdf
In principle, the dielectric function in dependence of frequency and wavenumber also determines the permeability.

 

[DuckAmuck]

Yes, it is possible to calculate the permittivity of a substance ab initio.
The theory is not elementary:
http://susi.theochem.tuwien.ac.at/events/ws2015/rolask_optic.pdf
In principle, the dielectric function in dependence of frequency and wavenumber also determines the permeability.

Amazing. Thank you.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Permeability, however, is more of a dark art. It's related to domain size, which is related to crystal size, which isn't just a matter of composition, it's a matter of process. For example, adding silicon usually increases permeability but it isn't even ferromagnetic.