It is shown that the well-known disparity in classical electrodynamics between the power radiated in electromagnetic fields and the power-loss, as calculated from the radiation reaction on a charge undergoing a non-uniform motion, is successfully resolved when a proper distinction is made between quantities expressed in terms of a "real time" and those expressed in terms of a retarded time. It is shown that the expression for the real-time radiative power loss from a charged particle is somewhat different from the familiar Larmor's formula, or in a relativistic case, from Liénard's formula.
Conservation principles establish the primacy of potentials over fields in electrodynamics, both classical and quantum. The contrary conclusion that fields are primary is based on the Newtonian concept that forces completely determine dynamics, and electromagnetic forces depend directly on fields. However, physical conservation principles come from symmetries such as those following from Noether's theorem, and these require potentials for their statement. Examples are given of potentials that describe fields correctly but that violate conservation principles, demonstrating that the correct sta…
It is customary to assume that the law of conservation of the angular momentum is violated for an asymmetric energy-momentum tensors. This is the reason for criticizing the Minkowski tensor and other asymmetric energy-momentum tensors. In this paper, it is shown that the laws of conservation of energy and momentum following from an asymmetric tensor in the form of its total divergence are equivalent to the divergence of its symmetric part. It is shown that the total divergence of the antisymmetric part of the asymmetric tensor is identically zero. From this, it follows that for the asymmetric …
We adopt the continuum limit of a linear, isotropic, homogeneous, transparent, dispersion-negligible dielectric of refractive index $n$ and examine the consequences of the effective speed of light in a stationary dielectric, $c/n$, for D'Alembert's principle and the Lagrange equations. The principles of dynamics in the dielectric-filled space are then applied to the electromagnetic Lagrangian and we derive equations of motion for the macroscopic fields. A direct derivation of the total energy--momentum tensor from the field strength tensor for the electromagnetic field in a dielectric is used …
The symmetric tensor energy-impulse of interaction of collective of electric charges with an electromagnetic field is received. A system of covariant energy and momentum conservation equations or a system of equations for the collective motion of charged particles is derived from this tensor. From this system Expressions are derived for collective electrodynamics forces. From the energy-momentum tensor derived the tensor of collective electrodynamics forces is.
We examine physical aspects for the electric version of a recently proposed logarithmic electrodynamics, for which the electric field of a point-like charge is finite at the origin. It is shown that this electrodynamics displays the vacuum birefringence phenomenon in the presence of external magnetic field. Afterwards we compute the lowest-order modification to the interaction energy by means of the gauge-invariant but path-dependent variables formalism. These are shown to result in a long-range ($1/r^3$-type) correction, in addition to a linear and another logarithmic correction, to the Coulo…
Flaws and ambiguities are pointed out upon examining the comment attempting to solve a problem as raised recently --- the currently accepted formulation of electromagnetic radiation of an accelerated charge violates the principle of conservation of energy. This problem is not solved by the comment, due to a misunderstanding in the meaning of the total radiated power crossing a sphere. An experiment is suggested to determine whether on not the currently accepted formulation is valid.
A self-action problem for a point-like charged particle arbitrarily moving in flat space-time of six dimensions is considered. A consistent regularization procedure is proposed which relies on energy-momentum and angular momentum balance equations. Structure of the angular momentum tensor carried by the retarded "Liénard-Wiechert" field testifies that a point-like source in six dimensions possesses an internal angular momentum. Its magnitude is proportional to the square of acceleration. It is the so-called {\em rigid} relativistic particle; its motion is determinated by the higher-derivative …
The problem of self forces and radiation reaction is solved by conservation of energy methods. The longstanding problem of constant acceleration is solved, and it is shown that the self force does indeed affect the particle's motion, as expected on physical grounds. The relativistic generalization is also presented.
We derive the classical dynamics of massless charged particles in a rigorous way from first principles. Since due to ultraviolet divergences this dynamics does not follow from an action principle, we rely on a) Maxwell's equations, b) Lorentz- and reparameterization-invariance, c) local conservation of energy and momentum. Despite the presence of pronounced singularities of the electromagnetic field along Dirac-like strings, we give a constructive proof of the existence of a unique distribution-valued energy-momentum tensor. Its conservation requires the particles to obey standard Lorentz equa…
Electric fields in non-local media with power-law spatial dispersion are discussed. Equations involving a fractional Laplacian in the Riesz form that describe the electric fields in such non-local media are studied. The generalizations of Coulomb's law and Debye's screening for power-law non-local media are characterized. We consider simple models with anomalous behavior of plasma-like media with power-law spatial dispersions. The suggested fractional differential models for these plasma-like media are discussed to describe non-local properties of power-law type.
In electrostatics, we can use either potential energy or field energy to ensure conservation of energy. In electrodynamics, the former option is unavailable. To ensure conservation of energy, we must attribute energy to the electromagnetic field and, in particular, to electromagnetic radiation. If we adopt the standard energy density for the electromagnetic field, then potential energy seems to disappear. However, a closer look at electrodynamics shows that this conclusion actually depends on the kind of matter being considered. Although we cannot get by without attributing energy to the elect…
We treat continuum electrodynamics as an axiomatic formal theory based on the macroscopic Maxwell--Minkowski equations applied to a thermodynamically closed system consisting of an antireflection-coated block of a simple linear dielectric material situated in free-space that is illuminated by a quasimonochromatic field. We prove that valid theorems of the formal theory of Maxwellian continuum electrodynamics are inconsistent with conservation laws for the inviscid incoherent flow of non-interacting particles (photons) in the continuum limit (light field) in the absence of external forces, pres…
Energy-momentum conservation of classical axion-electrodynamics is carefully analyzed in the Hamiltonian formulation of the theory. The term responsible for the energy transfer between the electromagnetic and the axion sectors is identified. As a special application the axion-to-light Primakoff-process in the background of a static magnetic field is worked out and the radiative self-damping of the axion oscillations is characterized quantitatively. The damping time turns out comparable to the age of the Universe in the preferred axion mass range.