The antisymmetric second-rank tensor being referenced is the electromagnetic field tensor. It is defined as follows. Let $\varphi$ be the electrostatic potential (a scalar field), and let $\underline{A}$ be the magnetic potential (a 3-vector) from classical E&M. Concatenate them into a 4-vector $\vec{A}$. Now define the tensor of interest as the exterior derivative of $\vec{A}$:
$$ \mathbf{F} = \mathrm{d}\vec{A}. $$
We can write this component-wise with partial derivatives:
$$ F_{\mu\nu} = \partial_\mu A_\nu - \partial_\nu A_\mu. $$
You can see that if thought of as a matrix, the components $F_{\mu\nu}$ of $\mathbf{F}$ are antisymmetic.
Now the use of this is that the four equations that govern classical electromagnetism (and hence light) are equivalent to:
$$ \partial_\nu F^{\mu\nu} = J^\mu $$
($\vec{J}$ is the 4-current composed of electric charge concatenated with 3-current) and
$$ \partial_{[\alpha} F_{\mu\nu]} = 0 $$
(the brackets denote the summing all permutations of indices with a sign given by the parity of the permutation).
Note that depending on your unit system there may be constants like $c$ or $\mu_0$ floating around in these equations.
In condensed matter "bulk" does not refer to the dimensionality of the problem but the location in the material. It refers to the volume of the crystal, as opposed to, e.g., surface effects.
Many organic conductors behave as 1D systems, yet you can talk about bulk properties.
Copper oxide superconductors have a 2D physics. However, often you will find discussions on whether a measurement (in particular ARPES and STM) is representative of bulk properties or of surface effects.
Strontium titanate is a 3D material, with insulating bulk properties. But when you deposit a lanthanum aluminate layer on it, you can create a superconductor on the interface alone.
Topological insulators, as tagged by your question, also have bulk characteristics and surface related properties that create the topologically protected states.
In summary, bulk refers to the volume of the material. You can think of bulk properties are those that an infinite material would have. It is not (necessarily) related to the dimensionality of the physics describing it. The importance of the terminology is to differentiate bulk properties from those arising from interface effets or from the symmetry breaking introduced by the "end" (the surface) of the infinite periodic array of atoms.
Best Answer
As most people know, "let there be light" is a famous biblical quote, from Genesis. Now, on to the teacher's shirt.
Those equations on his back are Maxwell's equations. "Let there be light" is a joke, because Maxwell's equations describe electromagnetic fields, and light is a form of electromagnetic radiation, so the equations can be used to describe light.
So, as a physicist, one could (jokingly) say that God's "let there be light" refers to him 'inventing' Maxwell's equations.