In an anisotropic medium, the current density ( $J$ ) and the electric field ( $E$ ) are not always parallel because the conductivity tensor scales the field's components differently depending on their orientation. This means that a straightforward relationship like Ohm's law in isotropic materials does not hold universally. The two vectors only become perfectly aligned when the electric field is applied either parallel or perpendicular to the material's principal axis of conductivity, which highlights that current flows in the same direction as the electric field only when the field is aligned with the material's inherent symmetries.
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