Hydrodynamic Electromagnetism: Maxwell's Equations in an Effective, Inviscid Medium (Non-Viscous Ether Analogy)

This preprint proposes an effective-medium interpretation of classical electromagnetism within the broader Hydrodynamic Quantum Gravity programme. The aim is not to claim experimental confirmation of a literal mechanical ether, but to present a coherent mapping in which vacuum electromagnetism is described as dynamics of an inviscid effective medium (an “ether” only in the historical, analogue sense) consistent with the standard Maxwell structure. The manuscript addresses common objections historically raised against medium-based interpretations—most notably transverse polarisation, Lorentz invariance, the observed value of the fine-structure constant, and the empirical success of quantum electrodynamics—by…