Originally written in 1964, this famous text is a study of the classical theory of charged particles. Many applications treat electrons as point particles. At the same time, there is a widespread belief that the theory of point particles is beset with various difficulties such as an infinite electrostatic self-energy, a rather doubtful equation of motion which admits physically meaningless solutions, violation of causality and others. The classical theory of charged particles has been largely ignored and has been left in an incomplete state since the discovery of quantum mechanics. Despite the great efforts of men such as Lorentz, Abraham, Poincare, and Dirac, it is usually regarded as a "lost cause". But thanks to progress made just a few years ago, the author is able to resolve the various problems and to complete this unfinished theory successfully.
Author(s): Fritz Rohrlich
Edition: 3
Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 324
Tags: Физика;Электродинамика / Электричество и магнетизм;
front......Page front
Preface, 3rd edn. (2007)......Page vii
Table of Contents......Page ix
1.1 The nature and aim of theory in physics......Page p1
1.2 The hierarchy of theories......Page p3
1.3 Plan for presentation, cl. th. of charged particles......Page p6
2.1 Before Lorentz......Page p8
2.2 The work of Lorentz and Abraham......Page p11
2.3 The impact of relativity......Page p16
2.4 Attempts at modification...point charges......Page p18
3.1 Reference frames......Page p26
3.2 The Euclidean group......Page p27
3.3 Force and the law of inertia......Page p28
3.4 Galilean invariance......Page p30
3.5 Inertial frames of reference......Page p31
3.6 Lorentz invariance......Page p32
C. The Principle of Equivalence......Page p35
3.7 Three kinds of mass......Page p36
3.8 Free fall......Page p37
3.9 Fictitious forces & apparent gravitational fields......Page p39
3.10 Einstein's Principle of Equivalence......Page p41
3.11 Experimental confirmation......Page p42
3.12 Local inertial frames......Page p43
3.13 Gravitational forces & space curvature......Page p45
3.14 Mach's principle......Page p47
3.15 Causality......Page p50
3.16 Initial value problem, Newtonian interactions......Page p52
3.17 Conservation laws......Page p54
4.1 Lorentz's microscopic theory......Page p61
4.2 Free electromagnetic fields......Page p63
4.3 Potentials and gauges......Page p65
4.4 Solenoidal form, Maxwell-Lorentz eqns......Page p68
4.5 Covariant form, Maxwell-Lorentz eqns......Page p70
4.6 Covariant solution of source-free equations......Page p74
4.7 The potentials......Page p77
4.8 The field strengths......Page p83
C. The Conservation Laws......Page p85
4.9 Lagrangian & invariance under translations......Page p86
4.10 ...under proper homogeneous Lorentz transformtns......Page p94
4.11 Gauge invariance......Page p102
4.12 Conformal invariance......Page p104
5.1 Momentum and energy of radiation......Page p106
5.2 Local criterion for radiation......Page p113
5.3 Radiation from uniformly accelerated charges......Page p114
5.4 Synchrotron radiation......Page p121
6.1 The Abraham-Lorentz-Poincare model......Page p123
6.2 Charged particles without structure......Page p127
6.3 The relativistic Lorentz electron......Page p129
6.4 The asymptotic conditions......Page p134
6.5 Deductions from Maxwell-Lorentz equations, conservation laws......Page p137
6.6 The equations of motion......Page p145
6.7 Physical meaning of equations of motion......Page p149
6.8 Properties of the solutions......Page p153
6.9 The action principle......Page p157
6.10 The free particle......Page p168
6.11 Uniform acceleration......Page p169
6.12 The intrinsic orbit geometry......Page p173
6.13 The pulse......Page p176
6.14 The oscillator......Page p179
6.15 Coulomb force problems......Page p182
7.1 Systems of >1 charged particle......Page p188
7.2 Action at a distance......Page p194
7.3 The test charge......Page p196
7.4 Charged particles with structure......Page p197
7.5 Point particles with spin......Page p204
8.1 The nonrelativistic approximation......Page p209
8.2 The limit to neutral particles......Page p213
8.3 Pr. of equivalence valid for charged particles?......Page p215
8.4 General relativity......Page p219
8.5 Nonrelativistic quantum mechanics......Page p224
8.6 Relativistic quantum mechanics......Page p229
8.7 Quantum electrodynamics......Page p237
9.1 Radiation, Coulomb & other EM fields......Page p241
9.2 Symmetry properties of the theory......Page p244
9.4 The structure of the theory......Page p250
9.5 The theory in its larger context......Page p251
S.A Theory......Page p257
S.B Applications......Page p260
S.R Annotated references......Page p263
Spohn 2000 Eur.J.Phys., Critical manifold of Lorentz-Dirac Equation......Page spohn
Appendixes......Page p265
A1.1 Derivation of Lorentz xformtn......Page p267
A1.2 Lorentz transformations & space rotations......Page p270
A1.3 The Lorentz groups......Page p274
A1.4 Proper time and kinematics......Page p275
A1.5 Spacelike planes......Page p279
A1.6 Light-cone surface element......Page p282
A2.1 Generalizing Minkowski space......Page p284
A2.2 The covariant derivative......Page p287
A2.3 Parallelism & curvature tensor......Page p289
A2.4 Geodesics......Page p291
A2.5 Riemann vs. Minkowski space......Page p293
Indices......Page p297
Author index......Page p299
Subject index......Page p301
back......Page back
