Electricity and Magnetism II - Homework Assignment 11

Alejandro Gomez Espinosa

May 2, 2013
Jackson, 12.14 An alternative Lagrangian density for the electromagnetic eld is
L =
1
8

1
c
J

(1)
(a) Derive the Euler-Lagrange equations of motion. Are they Maxwell equations? Under what
assumptions?
Before we derive Euler-Lagrange equations, let us change the rst term of (1) into a total
covariant term:

= g

= g

Now, using Euler-Lagrange equation:

_
L

L
A

= 0 (2)
in the new form of the Lagrangian:
L =
1
8
g

1
c
J

(3)
we can calculate each term of the relation (2):

_
L

_
=

1
8
g

__
=

1
8
g

_
_
=

1
8
g

_
_
=

1
8
_
g

+ g

_
_
=

1
8
(

)
_
=
1
4

(4)
L
A

=
1
c
J

=
1
c
J

(5)
Finally, using (4) and (5) into (2):

1
4

+
1
c
J

= 0

=
4
c
J

(6)
That is the Maxwell equations in contravariant form, as described in (11.133), with the Lorentz
gauge.

gomez@physics.rutgers.edu
1
(b) Show explicitly, and with what assumptions, that this Lagrangian density diers from (12.85)
by a 4-divergence. Does this added 4-divergence aect the action or the equations of motion?
The Lagrangian density from (12.85) is:
L =
1
16
F

1
c
J

(7)
Substracting (7) to (1) we found:
L
1
L
2
=
1
16
F

1
c
J

+
1
8

+
1
c
J

=
1
16
(

)(

) +
1
8

=
1
16
(

) +
1
8

=
1
16
(

) +
1
8

=
1
16
(2

) =
1
8

=
1
8
_

(A

) A

_
=
1
8
_

(A

) A

)
_
=
1
8

(A

)
where in the last step we used the Lorentz Gauge

= 0.Last relation is the 4-divergence,

what probes that the dierence between the two Lagrangian densities is this divergence.
Finally, using the action for this 4-divergence, i.e. the dierence between the two Lagrangian
densities:
S =
_
d
4
x

(A

) = 0
since this is volume integral over all space, using the Green Theorem, the divergence is zero.
Therefore, the addition of this 4-divergence does not aect the action or the equations of
motion.
2
Jackson, 14.4 Using the Lienard-Wiechert elds, discuss the time-averaged power radiated per unit solid
angle in nonrelativistic motion of a particle with charge e, moving
(a) along the z axis with instantaneous position z(t) = a cos
0
t.
Given in relation (14.20) in Jacksons book, the power radiated per unit solid angle is:
dP
d
=
e
2
4c
|n (n

)|
2
(8)
Then, let us calculated the factor using the position:

=
v
c
=
z
c
=
a
2
0
c
cos(
0
t) z
and the power radiated can be written as:
dP
d
=
e
2
4c
_
a
2

4
0
c
2
cos
2
(
0
t)
_
|n (n z)|
2
=
e
2
a
2

4
0
4c
3
cos
2
(
0
t) sin
2
(9)
where is the angle between the velocity and the direction of the retarded potential n. Taking
the average of this expression:
_
dP
d
_
=
e
2
a
2

4
0
4c
3
cos
2
(
0
t) sin
2

=
e
2
a
2

4
0
4c
3
_
1
2
_
sin
2

=
e
2
a
2

4
8c
3
sin
2

and nally the total average power:

P =
_
d
_
dP
d
_
=
_
e
2
a
2

4
8c
3
sin
2
dd(cos )
=
e
2
a
2

4
8c
3
2
_
1
1
sin
2
d(cos )
=
e
2
a
2

4
4c
3
4
3
=
e
2
a
2

4
3c
3
(b) in a circle of radius R in the x-y plane with constant angular frequency
0
.
In this case, r = Rcos(
0
t) x + Rsin(
0
t) y and, the factor:

2
0
R
c
(cos(
0
t) x + sin(
0
t) y)
Since the problem has no dependence in phi, i.e. has azimuthal symmetry, we can choose the
3
normal vector n as n = sin x + cos z. Then, the cross product of relation (8) is given by:
n (n

) = n(n

)

(n n) = n(n

)

0
R
c
(sin cos(
0
t)(sin x + cos z) cos(
0
t) x sin(
0
t) y)
=

0
R
c
_
(sin
2
cos(
0
t) cos(
0
t)) x sin(
0
t) y + sin cos cos(
0
t) z
_
=

0
R
c
_
cos
2
cos(
0
t) x sin(
0
t) y + sin cos cos(
0
t) z
_
|n (n

)|
2
=

2
0
R
2
c
2
_
cos
4
cos
2
(
0
t) + sin
2
(
0
t) + sin
2
cos
2
cos
2
(
0
t)
_
=

2
0
R
2
c
2
_
cos
2
cos
2
(
0
t)(cos
2
+ sin
2
) + sin
2
(
0
t)
_
=

2
0
R
2
c
2
_
cos
2
cos
2
(
0
t) + sin
2
(
0
t)
_
The power radiated is then,
dP
d
=
e
2

2
0
R
2
4c
3
_
cos
2
cos
2
(
0
t) + sin
2
(
0
t)
_
(10)
Taking the average of this expression:
_
dP
d
_
=
e
2

2
0
R
2
4c
3
_
cos
2
cos
2
(
0
t) + sin
2
(
0
t)
_
=
e
2

2
0
R
2
4c
3
_
1
2
cos
2
+
1
2
_
=
e
2

2
0
R
2
8c
3
_
cos
2
+ 1
_
and nally the total average power:
P =
_
d
_
dP
d
_
=
_
e
2
R
2

2
0
8c
3
(cos
2
+ 1) dd(cos )
=
e
2
R
2

2
0
8c
3
2
_
1
1
(cos
2
+ 1) d(cos )
=
e
2
R
2

2
0
4c
3
_
1
1
(cos
2
+ 1) d(cos )
=
e
2
R
2

2
0
4c
3
16
3
=
2e
2
R
2

2
0
3c
3
Sketch the angular distribution of the radiation and determine the total power radiated in each
case.
In the rst case, the angular distribution is described in Figure 1 and for the second in Figure
2.
4
1.0 0.5 0.5 1.0
0.4
0.2
0.2
0.4
Figure 1: Angular distribution for the time-average power radiated of a particle with charge e along the
z axis.
2 1 1 2
1.0
0.5
0.5
1.0
Figure 2: Angular distribution for the time-average power radiated of a particle with charge e int a circle
of radius R in the x-y plane..
5