RESEARCH ARTICLE Electromagnetic field and initial stress on a photothermal semiconducting voids medium under thermoelasticity theories Eied M. Khalil 1,2 | Sayed M. Abo-Dahab 3 | Araby A. Kilany 4 1 Department of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia 2 Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasser City, Egypt 3 Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt 4 Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt Correspondence S.M. Abo-Dahab, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt. Email: sdahb@yahoo.com Funding information Taif University Researchers Supporting Project, Grant/Award Number: TURSP- 2020/17 In this paper, we investigate a volume fraction, electromagnetic field, photothermal, and initial stress impact on a homogeneous isotropic semicon- ducting generalized thermoelasticity solid. Three generalized thermoelasticity theories are considered: classical dynamical (CD), Lord and Shulman (LS), and dual-phase-lags (DPL). The equations governing the problem are presented considering the voids, photothermal, semiconducting, initial stress, and parameters concerning the theory of thermoelasticity in a generalized form. We applied the normal mode technique analysis to solve the algebraic system of equations in this phenomenon under suitable boundary conditions. The results showed that the photothermal, voids as a volume fraction, process of semiconductor, electromagnetic field, thermal relaxation times, and initial stress have a significant impact on the phenomenon. The physical quantities with some analytical comparisons are introduced analytically and displayed in graphs. A comparison was made between the obtained results and the works presented by others. If the volume fraction, electromagnetic field, and initial stress are neglected, the results obtained are deduced to Abo-Dahab and Lotfy as a special case from the present study. The results obtained with neglecting the external parameters, viz, electromagnetic field, initial stress, voids, and phase lags, and considering the Laplace transform technique agree with the results of other works. KEYWORDS classical theory, dual-phase-lag, electromagnetic field, initial stress, Lord-Shulman, photothermal, semiconductor, voids 1 | INTRODUCTION Recently, an interaction between the thermal filed, photothermal, electromagnetic field, and semiconducting on the medium that has voids has drawn considerable importance because of its applications, especially in geophysics, astron- omy, industries, etc. It has drawn greater attention from researchers and technologists. The voids have great importance in petroleum extraction and biology. Thus, the plants, which have voids, are possible to make the processing easily. Thermoelasticity theory is important because of its utilitarian aspect as it has applications in diverse fields, e.g., geol- ogy, biology, engineering, and technology. Due to the confliction of determining infinite speed waves of signal thermal, more researchers try to solve these problems to solve the uncoupling between the thermal and modification of the Received: 3 June 2020 DOI: 10.1002/mma.6942 Math Meth Appl Sci. 2020;1–21. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/mma © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 1