Physics 505, Classical Electrodynamics

Homework 10
Due Thursday, 18th November 2004
Jacob Lewis Bourjaily

Problem 6.2
Consider the charge and current densities for a single point charge q. Formally, these are given by
(x0 , t0 ) = q [x0 r(t0 )]

J(x0 , t0 ) = qv(t0 ) [x0 r(t0 )] ,

where r(t0 ) is the charges position at time t0 and v(t0 ) is its velocity. While evaluating the expressions
involving retarded time, we must put t0 = tret = t R(t0 )/c, where R = x r(t0 ) and R = x x0 (t0 )
inside delta functions.
a) We are to show that
Z
1
d3 x0 [x0 r(tret )] = ,

where 1 v R/c, where is evaluated at retarded time.

Recall the trivial identity of the Dirac -function,
[f (x)] =

(x x0 )
,
(f /x)|x=x0

where x0 is a root of f (x). Setting f (x0 ) = [x0 r(tret )] in the expression above, x0
is such that x0 = r(tret ). Inserting this directly, we find

0
0
0
[x r(tret )] = (x x0 )
(x r(tret ))
,
x0
x0 =x0
1

0
r(tret )
,
= (x x0 ) 1
x0
x0 =x0

1
r
1
0
0 0
= (x x0 ) 1
t |x x (t )|
,
t x0
c
x0 =x0

1
r 1 x x0
0
= (x x0 ) 1
,
t c |x x0 | x0 =x0

1
r 1 x r(t0 )
= (x0 x0 ) 1
,
t c |x r(t0 )|

= (x0 x0 ) 1 v R/c
,
=

(x0 x0 )
,

Z
1
d3 x0 [x0 r(tret )] = .

o 

b) Starting with the Jefimenko generalizations of the Coulomb and Biot-Savart laws, we are to use
the expressions for the charge and current densities for a point charge and the result of part
a above to obtain the Heaviside-Feynman expressions for the electric and magnetic fields of a
point charge.
Let us begin with the electric field. The Jefimenko generalization is given by
(

)
Z

(x0 , t0 )
R
R
1
J(x0 , t0 )
1
3 0
0 0
d x
[(x , t )]ret +
2
.
E(x, t) =
40
R2
cR
t0
c R
t0
ret
ret
1

JACOB LEWIS BOURJAILY

E(x, t) =

1
40

1
40

q
40

q
40

q
40

Directly inserting our current and charge densities, following out the algebra and
using our result from part a, we have
(

)
Z
0 0
(x0 , t0 )

R
1
J(x
,
t
)
R
[(x0 , t0 )]ret +
2
d3 x0
,
R2
cR
t0
c R
t0
ret
ret
(

)
Z

R
R

1
3 0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
d x
q [ (x r(t ))]ret +
q
(x r(t ))
v(t ) (x r(t ))
2 q
,
R2
cR t0
c R t0
ret
ret
)
(
Z

R
R
[ (x0 r(t0 ))]ret 2
[v(t0 ) (x0 r(t0 ))]ret ,
d3 x0
[ (x0 r(t0 ))]ret +
R2
cR t
c R t
#
#
(Z
"
"
)

Z
Z

R
R
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3 0
3 0
3 0
(x r(t ))
+
(x r(t ))

v(t ) (x r(t ))
,
d x
d x
d x
R2
t
cR
t
c2 R
ret
ret
ret
("
#
"
#

1
+

v(t0 )
,
R2
t cR
t c2 R
ret
ret

ret

q
E(x, t) =
40

("

R
R2

#
ret

"
#

R
+
ct R

ret

1
0
2
v(t )
.
c t R
ret
o 

Notice that in the above, we have used the fact that R does not explicitly depend
on t.
Let us now do the analogous calculation for the magnetic field. The Jefimenko generalization is given by
(
)

0
R
J(x0 , t0 )
R
0 0
3 0
B(x, t) =
.
d x [J(x , t )]ret 2 +

4
R
t0
cR
ret
Directly inserting our current and charge densities and computing directly, we have
(
)

Z
0 0

0
J(x
,
t
)
R
R
B(x, t) =
d3 x0 [J(x0 , t0 )]ret 2 +

,
4
R
t0
cR
ret
(
)

q0

R
R
3 0
0
0
0
0
0
0
=
d x [v(t ) (x r(t ))]ret 2 +
v(t ) (x r(t ))

,
4
R
t0
cR
ret
(Z
"
"
#
# )
Z

q0
v

R
v

=
d3 x0
(x0 r(t0 ))
d3 x0
(x0 r(t0 ))
,
+
4
R2
t
cR
ret
ret
("
#
"
# )

q0
vR
vR
=
+
,
4
cR2
t cR
ret

0 q
B(x, t) =
4

("

ret

vR
2
cR

#
ret

"
#

vR
+
ct
R

)
.
ret

o