Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PDF An Introduction To Quantum Optics and Quantum Fluctuations First Edition Edition Milonni Ebook Full Chapter
PDF An Introduction To Quantum Optics and Quantum Fluctuations First Edition Edition Milonni Ebook Full Chapter
https://textbookfull.com/product/an-introduction-to-quantum-
optics-photon-and-biphoton-physics-2nd-edition-yanhua-shih/
https://textbookfull.com/product/an-introduction-to-quantum-
physics-first-edition-anthony-p-french/
https://textbookfull.com/product/an-introduction-to-quantum-
field-theory-first-edition-michael-e-peskin/
https://textbookfull.com/product/geometry-of-quantum-states-an-
introduction-to-quantum-entanglement-ingemar-bengtsson/
Geometry of Quantum States An Introduction to Quantum
Entanglement Ingemar Bengtsson
https://textbookfull.com/product/geometry-of-quantum-states-an-
introduction-to-quantum-entanglement-ingemar-bengtsson-2/
https://textbookfull.com/product/a-first-introduction-to-quantum-
computing-and-information-bernard-zygelman/
https://textbookfull.com/product/an-introduction-to-quantum-and-
vassiliev-knot-invariants-david-m-jackson/
https://textbookfull.com/product/an-introduction-to-quantum-
transport-in-semiconductors-1st-edition-david-k-ferry/
https://textbookfull.com/product/a-guide-to-experiments-in-
quantum-optics-3rd-edition-hans-a-bachor/
AN INTRODUCTION TO QUANTUM OPTICS AND
QUANTUM FLUCTUATIONS
An Introduction to Quantum Optics and
Quantum Fluctuations
Peter W. Milonni
Los Alamos National Laboratory and University of Rochester
1
3
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP,
United Kingdom
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford.
It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship,
and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of
Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries
© Peter W. Milonni 2019
The moral rights of the author have been asserted
First Edition published in 2019
Impression: 1
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the
prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted
by law, by licence or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics
rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the
above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the
address above
You must not circulate this work in any other form
and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer
Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Data available
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018955000
ISBN 978–0–19–921561–4
DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780199215614.001.0001
Printed and bound by
CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY
Links to third party websites are provided by Oxford in good faith and
for information only. Oxford disclaims any responsibility for the materials
contained in any third party website referenced in this work.
To my mother, Antoinette Marie Milonni
and
The quantum theory of light and its fluctuations are applied in areas as diverse as
the conceptual foundations of quantum theory, nanotechnology, communications, and
gravitational wave detection. The primary purpose of this book is to introduce some of
the most basic theory for scientists who have studied quantum mechanics and classical
electrodynamics at a graduate or advanced undergraduate level. Perhaps it might also
offer some different perspectives and some material that are not presented in much detail
elsewhere.
Any book purporting to be a serious introduction to quantum optics and fluctua-
tions should include field quantization and some of its consequences. It is not so easy to
decide which other aspects of this broad field are most apt or instructive. I have for the
most part written about matters of fundamental and presumably long-lasting signifi-
cance. These include spontaneous emission and its role as a source of quantum noise;
field fluctuations and fluctuation-induced forces; fluctuation–dissipation relations; and
some distinctly quantum aspects of light. I have tried to focus on the essential physics,
and in calculations have favored the Heisenberg picture, as it often suggests interpre-
tations along classically familiar lines. Some historical notes that might be of interest
to some readers are included; these and other digressions appear in small type. Also
included are exercises for readers wishing to delve further into some of the material.
I am grateful to my longtime friends Paul R. Berman, Richard J. Cook, Joseph H.
Eberly, James D. Louck, and G. Jordan Maclay for discussions over many years about
much of the material in this book. Jordan read most of the book in its nearly final ver-
sion and made insightful comments and suggestions. Thanks also go to Sönke Adlung
and Harriet Konishi of Oxford University Press for their patience and encouragement.
Peter W. Milonni
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Contents
Equation (1.1.4) relates the integral of B around a loop C to the current I in C and
the flux of E through C; the first term expresses Oersted’s law (an electric current
can deflect a compass needle), while the second term corresponds to the displacement
current that Maxwell, relying on mechanical analogies, added to the current density J.
With this additional term (1.1.1) and (1.1.4), together with the identity ∇·(∇×B) = 0,
imply the continuity equation
∂ρ
∇·J+ = 0, (1.1.6)
∂t
which says, in particular, that electric charge is conserved. (The additional term also
implied wave equations for the electric and magnetic fields and therefore the possibility
of nearly instantaneous communication between any two points on Earth!) Maxwell’s
equations express all the laws of electromagnetism discovered experimentally by the
pioneers (Ampère, Cavendish, Coulomb, Faraday, Lenz, Oersted, etc.) in a wonderfully
compact form.
If the charge density ρ does not change with time, it follows that ∇ · J = 0 and,
from Maxwell’s equations, that the electric and magnetic fields do not change with
time and are uncoupled:
µ0 I 1 2I
B= = (1.1.9)
2π r 4πǫ0 c2 r
at a distance r from the wire and points in directions specified by the right-hand rule.1
It then follows from (1.1.5) that the (attractive) force f per unit length between two
long, parallel wires separated by a distance r and carrying currents I and I ′ is
µ0 II ′ 1 2II ′
f= = . (1.1.10)
2π r 4πǫ0 c2 r
Until recently this was used to define the ampere (A) as the current I = I ′ in two long
parallel wires that results in a force of 2 × 10−7 N/m when the wires are separated by
1 m. This definition of the ampere implied the definition µ0 = 4π × 10−7 Wb/A·m,
the weber (Wb) being the unit of magnetic flux. With this definition of the ampere,
1 The fact that a wire carrying an electric current generates what Faraday would later identify as
a magnetic field was discovered by Oersted. While lecturing to students in the spring of 1820, Oersted
noticed that when the circuit of a “voltaic pile” was closed, there was a deflection of the needle of
a magnetic compass that happened to be nearby. Ampère, at the time a mathematics professor in
Paris, performed and analyzed further experiments on the magnetic effects of electric currents.
Electric and Magnetic Fields 3
the coulomb (C) was defined as the charge transported in 1 s by a steady current of 1
A. Then, in the Coulomb law,
1 q1 q2
F2 = 3 r12 (1.1.11)
4πǫ0 r12
for the force on a point charge q2 due to a point charge q1 , with r12 the vector pointing
from q1 to q2 , ǫ0 is inferred from the defined values of µ0 and c: ǫ0 = 8.854 × 10−12
C2 /N·m2 , or 1/4πǫ0 = 8.9874 × 109 N·m2 /C2 .
In the revised International System of Units (SI), the ampere is defined, based on
a fixed value for the electron charge, as the current corresponding to 1/(1.602176634 ×
10−19 ) electrons per second. The free-space permittivity ǫ0 and permeability µ0 in the
revised system are experimentally determined rather than exactly defined quantities;
the relation ǫ0 µ0 = 1/c2 , with c defined as 299792458 m/s, remains exact.
Equation (1.1.11) implies that the Coulomb interaction energy of two equal charges
q separated by a distance r is
1 q2
U (r) = . (1.1.12)
4πǫ0 r
We can use this formula to make rough estimates of binding energies. Consider, for
example, the H+ 2 ion. The total energy is Etot = Enn + Een + Ekin , where Enn is the
proton–proton Coulomb energy, Een is the Coulomb interaction energy of the electron
with the two protons, and Ekin is the kinetic energy. According to the virial theorem
of classical mechanics, Etot = −Ekin , implying
1
Etot = (Enn + Een ). (1.1.13)
2
Enn = e2 /(4πǫ0 r), where e = 1.602 × 10−19 C and r ∼ = 0.106 nm is the internuclear
separation. A rough estimate of Een is obtained by assuming that the electron sits at
the midpoint between the two protons:
1 e2
Een ≈ − × 2 × 1 = −4Enn . (1.1.14)
4πǫ0 2r
Then,
3 1 e2
Etot = − × ≈ −20.4 eV. (1.1.15)
2 4πǫ0 r
Since the binding (ionization) energy of the hydrogen atom is 13.6 eV, the binding
energy of H+2 , defined as the binding energy between a hydrogen atom and a proton, is
estimated to be (20.4 - 13.6) eV = 6.8 eV. Quantum-mechanical calculations yield 2.7
eV for this binding energy. Chemical binding energies on the order of a few electron
volts are typical.
4 Elements of Classical Electrodynamics
Consider as another example the energy released in the fission of a U235 nucleus.
Since there are 92 protons, the Coulomb interaction energy of the protons is
1 (92e)2
U1 ≈ , (1.1.16)
4πǫ0 R
where R is the nuclear radius. If the nucleus is split in two, the volume decreases
be a factor of 2, and the radius therefore decreases to (1/2)1/3 R, since the volume is
proportional to the radius cubed. The sum of the Coulomb interaction energies of the
daughter nuclei is therefore
1
U2 ≈ 2 × × (46e)2 /[(1/2)1/3 R] = 0.63U1 . (1.1.17)
4πǫ0
The energy released in fission is Uf = U1 − U2 = 0.37U1 . Taking R = 10−14 m for the
nuclear radius, we obtain Uf = 4.8 × 108 eV = 480 MeV, compared with the actual
value of about 170 MeV per nucleus. Thus we obtain the correct order of magnitude
with only electrostatic interactions, without accounting for the strong force between
nucleons and without having to know that E = mc2 .2 The physical origin of the energy
released in this simple model is the Coulomb interaction of charged particles, just as in
a chemical combustion reaction. But the energy released in chemical reactions typically
amounts to just a few electron volts per atom; the enormously larger energy released
per nucleus in the fission of U235 is due to the small size of the nucleus compared with
an atom and to the large number of charges (protons) involved.
Fig. 1.1 A point inside some imagined closed surface in free space. For that point to be one
of stable equilibrium for a positive point charge, for example, the electric field must point
everywhere toward it, which would imply a negative flux of electric field through the surface.
This would violate Gauss’s law, because ∇ · E = 0 in free space.
A more formal proof of Earnshaw’s theorem starts from the force F = qE = −q∇φ
on a point charge q, or, equivalently, the potential energy U (r) = qφ(r); ∇ · E = 0 in
free space implies Laplace’s equation,
which means that the potential energy has no local maximum or minimum inside
the surface of Figure 1.1; a local maximum or minimum would require that all three
second derivatives in Laplace’s equation have the same sign, which would contradict
the equation. It is only possible at any point to have a maximum along one direction
and a minimum along another (saddle points). In particular, no combination of forces
involving 1/r potential energies, such as, for example, electrostatic plus gravitational
interactions, can result in points of stable equilibrium, since the sum of the Laplacians
over all the potentials is zero.
The Reverend Samuel Earnshaw presented his theorem in 1842 in the context of the
“luminiferous ether” and elasticity theory. He showed that forces varying as the inverse square
of the distance between particles could not produce a stable equilibrium, and concluded that
the ether must be held together by non-inverse-square forces. Maxwell stated the theorem
as “a charged body placed in a field of electric force cannot be in stable equilibrium,” and
proved it for electrostatics.3
Earnshaw’s theorem in electrostatics only says that stable equilibrium cannot occur with
electrostatic forces alone. If other forces act to hold negative charges in place, a positive
charge can, of course, be kept in stable equilibrium by a suitable distribution of the negative
charges. Similarly, a charge can be in stable equilibrium in electric fields that vary in time, or
in a dielectric medium (held together by non-electrostatic forces!) in which any displacement
of the charge results in a restoring force acting back on it, as occurs for a charge at the center
of a dielectric sphere with permittivity ǫ < ǫ0 .4
Things are a little more complicated in magnetostatics. There are no magnetic monopoles,
and the potential energy of interest is U (r) = −m · B for a magnetic dipole m in a magnetic
field B. For induced magnetic dipoles, m = αm B, where αm > 0 for a paramagnetic material
3 J. C. Maxwell, Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, Volume 1, Dover Publications, New York,
1954, p. 174.
4 See, for instance, D. F. V. James, P. W. Milonni, and H. Fearn, Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 3194 (1995).
6 Elements of Classical Electrodynamics
(the dipole tends to align with the B field), αm < 0 for a diamagnetic material (the dipole
tends to “anti-align” with the field), the potential energy is
Z B(r)
1
U (r) = − αm B · dB = − αm B 2 (r), (1.2.4)
0 2
and ∇2 U = −(1/2)αm ∇2 B 2 . For there to be a point of stable equilibrium the flux of the force
F through any surface surrounding the point in free space must be negative, which, from the
divergence theorem, requires that ∇ · F = −∇2 U < 0, or αm ∇2 B 2 < 0 at that point. Now in
free space ∇ × B = 0, and, consequently, ∇ × (∇ × B) = ∇(∇ · B) − ∇2 B = 0, so ∇2 B = 0
and
∇2 (B · B) = 2B · ∇2 B + 2|∇B|2 = 2|∇B|2 ≥ 0. (1.2.5)
Therefore, we cannot have αm ∇2 B 2 < 0 in the paramagnetic case, that is, a paramagnetic
particle cannot be held in stable equilibrium in a magnetostatic field. But it is possible for a
diamagnetic particle to be in stable equilibrium in a magnetostatic field: this is simply because
B 2 , unlike any of the three components of B itself, does not satisfy Laplace’s equation and can
have a local minimum. Ordinary diamagnetic materials (wood, water, proteins, etc.) are only
very weakly diamagnetic, but levitation is possible in sufficiently strong magnetic fields. The
most spectacular practical application at present of magnetic levitation—“maglev” trains—is
based on the levitation of superconductors (αm → −∞) in magnetic fields.
1 ∂φ 2 1 ∂2A
∇(∇ · A + ) − ∇ A + = µ0 J. (1.3.1)
c2 ∂t c2 ∂t2
In terms of φ and A, (1.1.1) becomes
∂
∇2 φ + (∇ · A) = −ρ/ǫ0 . (1.3.2)
∂t
These last two equations for the potentials φ and A are equivalent to the Maxwell
equations (1.1.3) and (1.1.1), and the definitions of φ and A ensure that the remaining
two Maxwell equations are satisfied. But φ and A are not uniquely specified by B =
∇ × A and E = −∇φ − ∂A/∂t: we can satisfy Maxwell’s equations with different
potentials A′ and φ′ obtained from the gauge transformations A = A′ + ∇χ, and φ =
φ′ − ∂χ/∂t with B = ∇ × A = ∇ × A′ , and E = −∇φ − ∂A/∂t = −∇φ′ − ∂A′ /∂t.5
5 The word “gauge” in this context was introduced by Hermann Weyl in 1929.
Gauges and the Relativity of Fields 7
1 ∂φ
∇·A+ = 0. (1.3.3)
c2 ∂t
Then, from (1.3.1) and (1.3.2),
1 ∂2A
∇2 A − = −µ0 J, (1.3.4)
c2 ∂t2
2
1 ∂ φ
∇2 φ − 2 2 = −ρ/ǫ0 . (1.3.5)
c ∂t
The advantage of the Lorentz gauge, as the name suggests, comes when the equations
of electrodynamics are formulated so as to be “manifestly” invariant under the Lorentz
transformations of relativity theory, as discussed below.
Recall a solution of the scalar wave equation
1 ∂2ψ
∇2 ψ − = f (r, t) (1.3.6)
c2 ∂t2
using the Green function G satisfying
1 ∂2
(∇2 − )G(r, t; r′ , t′ ) = δ 3 (r − r′ )δ(t − t′ ). (1.3.7)
c2 ∂t2
From a standard representation for the delta function,
4 Z ∞
1
Z
3 ′ ′ 3
δ (r − r )δ(t − t ) = d k dωei(k·R−ωT ) , (1.3.8)
2π −∞
6 Recall that the “Lorentz gauge” is really a class of gauges, as we can replace A by A + ∇ψ, and
φ by φ − ∂ψ/∂t, and still satisfy (1.3.3) as long as ∇2 ψ − (1/c2 ) ∂ 2 ψ/∂t2 = 0. The Coulomb gauge
condition, similarly, remains satisfied under such “restricted” gauge transformations with ∇2 ψ = 0,
but for potentials that fall off at least as fast as 1/r, r being the distance from the center of a localized
charge distribution, ψ = 0. What is generally called the Lorentz gauge condition was actually proposed
a quarter-century before H. A. Lorentz by L. V. Lorenz, who also formulated equations equivalent to
Maxwell’s, independently of Maxwell but a few years later. See J. D. Jackson and L. B. Okun, Rev.
Mod. Phys. 73, 663 (2001).
8 Elements of Classical Electrodynamics
4 Z ∞
ei(k·R−ωT )
1
Z
G(r, t; r′ , t′ ) = − d3 k dω
2π −∞ k 2 − ω 2 /c2
4 Z ∞ Z π Z 2π Z ∞
1 2 eikR cos θ e−iωT
=− dk k dθ sin θ dφ dω 2
2π 0 0 0 −∞ k − ω 2 /c2
3 Z ∞ Z ∞
1 c 1 1
= dk eikR dω − e−iωT . (1.3.10)
2π 2iR −∞ −∞ ω − kc ω + kc
How can we deal with the singularities at ω = ±kc in the integration over ω? A
physically reasonable assumption is that G(r, t; r′ , t′ ) is 0 for T = t − t′ < 0, that is,
for times before the delta function “source” is turned on. We can satisfy this condition
by introducing the positive infinitesimal ǫ and defining the retarded Green function:
1 3 c Z ∞ Z ∞ 1
′ ′ ikR
G(r, t; r , t ) = dke dω
2π 2iR −∞ −∞ ω − kc + iǫ
1
− e−iωT . (1.3.11)
ω + kc + iǫ
Now the poles lie not on the real axis but in the lower half of the complex plane. Since
e−iωT → 0 for T < 0 and large, positive imaginary parts of ω, we can replace the
integration path in (1.3.11) by one along the real axis and closed in a large (radius
→ ∞) semicircle in the upper half-plane. And since there are no poles inside this
closed path, we have the desired property that
G(r, t; r′ , t′ ) = 0 (t < t′ ). (1.3.12)
For T = t − t′ > 0, similarly, we can close the integration path with an infinitely large
semicircle in the lower half of the complex plane. The integration path now encloses
the poles at ω = ±kc − iǫ, and the residue theorem gives
3 Z ∞
′ ′ 1 c
G(r, t; r , t ) = dk eikR (−2πi)[e−ikcT − eikcT ]
2π 2iR −∞
c c
=− [δ(R − cT ) − δ(R + cT )] = δ(R − cT )
4πR 4πR
c
=− δ[|r − r′ | − c(t − t′ )] (t > t′ ). (1.3.13)
4π|r − r′ |
The solution of (1.3.5), for example, is then
Z ∞
−1
Z
φ(r, t) = d3 r′ dt′ G(r, t; r′ , t′ )ρ(r′ , t′ )
ǫ0 −∞
Z ∞
c ρ(r′ , t′ )δ[|r − r′ | − c(t − t′ )]
Z
= d3 r′ dt′
4πǫ0 −∞ |r − r′ |
1 ρ(r′ , t − |r − r′ |/c)
Z
= d3 r′ (1.3.14)
4πǫ0 |r − r′ |
under the assumption that it is the retarded Green function that is physically meaning-
ful, rather than the “advanced” Green function or some linear combination of advanced
Gauges and the Relativity of Fields 9
and retarded Green functions.7 The contribution of the charge density at r′ to the
scalar potential at r at time t depends on the value of the charge density at the re-
tarded time t − |r − r′ |/c, and likewise for the vector potential. Evaluation of these
potentials gives expressions that are more complicated than trivially retarded versions
of their static forms, as we now recall for a simple but important example.
For a point charge q moving such that its position at time t is u(t), ρ(r′ , t′ ) =
qδ 3 [r′ − u(t′ )], and the scalar potential is
Z ∞
q δ 3 [r′ − u(t′ )]δ(t′ − t + |r − r′ |/c)
Z
φ(r, t) = d3 r′ dt′ . (1.3.15)
4πǫ0 −∞ |r − r′ |
To perform the integration, we change variables from x′ , y ′ , z ′ , t′ to y1 = x′ − ux (t′ ),
y2 = y ′ − uy (t′ ), y3 = z ′ − uz (t′ ) and y4 = t′ − t + |r − r′ |/c:
q 1
Z Z Z Z
φ(r, t) = dy1 dy2 dy3 dy4 J −1 δ(y1 ) δ(y2 ) δ(y3 ) δ(y4 ), (1.3.16)
4πǫ0 |r − r′ |
where now r′ = u(t′ ), t′ = t − |r − r′ |/c, and J is the 4 × 4 Jacobian determinant,
∂(y1 , y2 , y3 , y4 )
J= , (1.3.17)
∂(x′ , y ′ , z ′ , t′ )
which is found by straightforward algebra to be
r − r′
J = 1 − [u̇(t′ )/c] · . (1.3.18)
|r − r′ |
Therefore,
q 1
φ(r, t) = , (1.3.19)
4πǫ0 |r − r′ | − [u̇(t′ )/c] · (r − r′ )/|r − r′ |
or, in more compact notation,
1 q
φ(r, t) = , (1.3.20)
4πǫ0 R(1 − v · n̂/c) ret
where R is the distance from the charge to the observation point r, n̂ is the unit vector
pointing from the point charge to the point of observation, v = u̇ is the velocity of the
charge, and the subscript “ret” means that all the quantities in brackets are evaluated
at the retarded time t′ = t − |r− r′ |/c. Likewise, the solution of (1.3.4) for the retarded
vector potential is
1 qv
A(r, t) = , (1.3.21)
4πǫ0 c2 R(1 − v · n̂/c) ret
since the current density associated with the point charge is J = qvδ 3 [r − u(t)].
7 We follow here the nearly universal practice in classical electrodynamics of setting to 0 the (zero-
temperature) solutions of the homogeneous Maxwell equations, that is, we presume there are no
“source-free” fields. In quantum electrodynamics, however, there are fluctuating fields, with observable
physical consequences, even at zero temperature. Nontrivial solutions of the homogeneous Maxwell
equations also appear in the classical theory called stochastic electrodynamics. See Section 7.4.1.
10 Elements of Classical Electrodynamics
These Liénard–Wiechert potentials are complicated. For one thing, φ(r, t), for in-
stance, is not simply q/4πǫ0 [R]ret , which “almost everyone would, at first, think.”8
Instead, φ(r, t) depends not only on the position of the charge at the retarded time t′ ,
but also on what the velocity was at t′ . For a charge moving with constant velocity v
along the x axis, for example,
1 1p
t′ = t − |r − u(t′ )| = t − (x − vt′ )2 + y 2 + z 2 (1.3.22)
c c
if we define our coordinates such that, at t = 0, the charge is at (x = 0, y = 0, z = 0).
The solution of this equation for t′ (< t) is
−1 " s #
v2 v2
′ xv 1 2 2 2
t = 1− 2 t− 2 − (x − vt) + 1 − 2 (y + z ) . (1.3.23)
c c c c
Since R = c(t − t′ ) and the component of velocity along r′ at the retarded time t′ is
v × (x − vt′ )/|r′ |, it follows from (1.3.22) and (1.3.23) that
r
′ v ′ v2
[R − Rv · n̂/c]ret = c(t − t ) − (x − vt ) = (x − vt)2 + (1 − 2 )(y 2 + z 2 ), (1.3.24)
c c
and therefore that
q 1
φ(x, y, z, t) = p
4πǫ0 (x − vt) + (1 − v 2 /c2 )(y 2 + z 2 )
2
q 1 1
= p p (1.3.25)
4πǫ0 1 − v /c
2 2 (x − vt) /(1 − v 2 /c2 ) + y 2 + z 2
2
and
qv 1 1
Ax (x, y, z, t) = (1.3.26)
4πǫ0 c2 1 − v 2 /c2 (x − vt)2 /(1 − v 2 /c2 ) + y 2 + z 2
p p
for a charged particle moving with constant velocity v along the x direction.
We can derive these results more simply using the fact that, in special relativity
theory, φ and A transform as the components of a four-vector (φ/c, A). In a space-
time coordinate system (x′ , y ′ , z ′ , t′ ) in which a charge q is at rest,
q 1
φ′ (x′ , y ′ , z ′ , t′ ) = p , A′ (x′ , y ′ , z ′ , t′ ) = 0. (1.3.27)
4πǫ0 x + y ′2 + z ′2
′2
The coordinates (x, y, z, t) in the “lab” frame, in which the charge is moving in the
positive x direction with constant velocity v, are related to the rest-frame coordinates
by the Lorentz transformations:
8 Feynman, Leighton, and Sands, Volume II, p. 21–9. (We refer to books in the Bibliography using
their authors’ italicized surnames.)
Gauges and the Relativity of Fields 11
x − vt t − vx/c2
x′ = p , t′ = p , y ′ = y, z ′ = z. (1.3.28)
1 − v 2 /c2 1 − v 2 /c2
q 1 1
= p p , (1.3.29)
4πǫ0 1 − v /c 2 2 (x − vt) /(1 − (v 2 /c2 ) + y 2 + z 2
2
which is just (1.3.25). That we obtained (1.3.25) directly from the solution of the
wave equation for φ without making any Lorentz transformations is not surprising,
of course, because the Maxwell equations are the correct equations of electromagnetic
theory in special relativity; they are correct in any inertial frame. Indeed, the Liénard–
Wiechert potentials were obtained before the development of the theory of special
relativity. What special relativity shows is that v can be regarded as the relative
velocity between the coordinate system in which the charge is at rest and the system
in which it is moving with velocity v.
Once we have φ and A, we can obtain the electric and magnetic fields using
E = −∇φ − ∂A/∂t and B = ∇ × A. From (1.3.25) and the corresponding formulas
for A,
q 1 (x − vt)
Ex = ,
4πǫ0 1 − v /c [(x − vt)2 /(1 − v 2 /c2 ) + y 2 + z 2 )]3/2
p
2 2
q 1 y
Ey = ,
4πǫ0 1 − v 2 /c2 [(x − vt)2 /(1 − v 2 /c2 ) + y 2 + z 2 )]3/2
p
q 1 z
Ez = , (1.3.30)
4πǫ0 1 − v 2 /c2 [(x − vt)2 /(1 − v 2 /c2 ) + y 2 + z 2 )]3/2
p
and
1
B= v × E. (1.3.31)
c2
Ex′ = Ex ,
Ey − vBz
Ey′ = p ,
1 − v 2 /c2
Ez + vBy
Ez′ = p ,
1 − v 2 /c2
Bx′ = Bx ,
By + vEz /c2
By′ = p ,
1 − v 2 /c2
Bz − vEy /c2
Bz′ = p , (1.3.32)
1 − v 2 /c2
when the primed frame moves with respect to the unprimed frame at a constant
velocity v in the x direction.9
The result (1.3.31), for example, can be obtained from the Coulomb field in a frame
in which the charge is at rest, using these transformation laws to relate the fields in
the two inertial frames. In particular, a purely electric field in one frame implies a
magnetic field in another, and vice versa.10
In the case of a charged particle moving with a velocity that varies in time, the
electric and magnetic fields can be calculated from the Liénard–Wiechert potentials,
as is done in standard texts. Here, we only recall the formulas for the (retarded) fields
in the radiation zone when the particle motion is non-relativistic (v ≪ c):
q 1
E(r, t) = r × (r × v̇), (1.3.33)
4πǫ0 c2 r3
q 1
B(r, t) = v̇ × r. (1.3.34)
4πǫ0 c3 r2
The power radiated per solid angle is calculated using these fields and the Poynting
vector:
dP 1 q2
= |v̇|2 sin2 θ, (1.3.35)
dΩ 4πǫ0 4πc3
where θ is the angle between r and the acceleration v̇. Integration over all solid angles
results in the (non-relativistic) Larmor formula for the radiated power:
2π π
dP 1 2q 2 v̇ 2
Z Z
P = dφ dθ sin θ = . (1.3.36)
0 0 dΩ 4πǫ0 3c3
∇2 φ = −ρ/ǫ0 (1.3.37)
and
1 ∂2A 1 ∂φ
∇2 A − = −µ0 J + 2 ∇ . (1.3.38)
c2 ∂t2 c ∂t
The scalar potential satisfies the Poisson equation (1.3.37) and is given in terms of the
charge density ρ(r, t) by the instantaneous Coulomb potential,
1 ρ(r′ , t) 3 ′
Z
φ(r, t) = d r, (1.3.39)
4πǫ0 |r − r′ |
if the charge distribution is specified throughout all space. (Of course, this is not
always the case; in many examples in electrostatics, for example, the potentials are
specified on conductors, and surface charge distributions are deduced after solving
Laplace’s equation with boundary conditions.) Equation (1.3.38) can be rewritten
using Helmholtz’s theorem: any vector field F(r, t) can be uniquely decomposed in
transverse and longitudinal parts defined respectively by12
1 F(r′ , t) 3 ′
Z
F⊥ (r, t) = ∇×∇× d r, (1.3.40)
4π |r − r′ |
1 ∇′ · F(r′ , t) 3 ′
Z
Fk (r, t) = − ∇ d r. (1.3.41)
4π |r − r′ |
1 ∂2A 1 ∂φ
∇2 A − = −µ0 J⊥ − µ0 Jk + 2 ∇
c2 ∂t2 c ∂t
′ ′
∇ · J(r , t) 3 ′ 1 ∂ ρ(r′ , t) 3 ′
Z Z
⊥ µ0
= −µ0 J + ∇ d r + ∇ d r
4π |r − r′ | 4πǫ0 c2 ∂t |r − r′ |
= −µ0 J⊥ , (1.3.42)
only the transverse fields A, E⊥ , and B. (Bk = 0 in any gauge.) But the Coulomb
interactions in the Coulomb gauge are instantaneous, not retarded (see (1.3.39)). In
the Lorentz gauge, in contrast, the potentials (and therefore the electric and magnetic
fields) do not propagate instantaneously and are retarded as long as we choose the
retarded Green function for the wave equation:
1 ρ(r′ , t − |r − r′ |/c)
Z
φ(r, t) = d3 r′ , (1.3.43)
4πǫ0 |r − r′ |
J(r′ , t − |r − r′ |/c)
Z
µ0
A(r, t) = d3 r′ , (1.3.44)
4π |r − r′ |
and
′ ′
∂A 1 3 ′ ρ(r , t − |r − r |/c)
Z
E(r, t) = −∇φ(r, t) − = −∇ d r
∂t 4πǫ0 |r − r′ |
′ ′
∂ µ0 J(r , t − |r − r |/c)
Z
− d3 r′ . (1.3.45)
∂t 4π |r − r′ |
The expression for the same electric field when the Coulomb gauge is used is
′
1 3 ′ ρ(r , t)
Z
E(r, t) = −∇ d r
4πǫ0 |r − r′ |
⊥ ′ ′
∂ µ0 3 ′ J (r , t − |r − r |/c)
Z
− d r (1.3.46)
∂t 4π |r − r′ |
when we use the retarded Green function for the solution of the wave equation (1.3.42).
Of course, E cannot depend on the choice of gauge, and so the expressions (1.3.45)
and (1.3.46) must be equivalent, and, in particular, (1.3.46) must be a retarded field,
even though the instantaneous Coulomb field appears in the first term. We show in
Appendix A that this is so.
We can express the electric field in other forms. First, write (1.3.45) more compactly
as
1 [ρ] [J̇]
Z
E(r, t) = − d3 r′ ∇ + 2 (1.3.47)
4πǫ0 R c R
by defining [f ] = f (r′ , t − |r − r′ |/c), f˙ = (∂/∂t)f (r′ , t − |r − r′ |/c), and R = r − r′ .
Using
[ρ] 1 1 1
∇ = ∇[ρ] + [ρ]∇ = ∇ρ(r′ , t − |r − r′ |/c) − [ρ]R̂/R2
R R R R
R̂
= − [ρ̇] − [ρ]R̂/R2 , (1.3.48)
cR
where the unit vector R̂ = R/R, we write the electric field as
1
Z [ρ] ˙
[ρ] [J̇]
E(r, t) = d3 r′ R̂ + R̂ − . (1.3.49)
4πǫ0 R2 cR c2 R
Dipole Radiators 15
Similarly,
µ0 h [J] [J̇]
Z i
B(r, t) = d3 r′ + × R̂ . (1.3.50)
4π R2 cR
Expressions (1.3.49) and (1.3.50), which may be regarded as time-dependent gener-
alizations of the Coulomb and Biot-Savart laws, are the Jefimenko equations for the
electric and magnetic fields produced by a charge density ρ(r, t) and a current density
J(r, t).13
The current I in the wire oscillates in time at the frequency ω and vanishes at the
end points z = ±L/2. It takes the form of a standing wave:
with k = ω/c, and Im the peak current. The vector potential (1.3.44) in this example
is
′
µ0 Im −iωt L/2 ′ sin[k(L/2 − |z ′ |)] eik|r−ẑz |
Z
A(r, t) = ẑ e dz , (1.4.2)
4π −L/2 sin 12 kL |r − ẑz ′ |
where, as usual, it is implied that we must take the real part of the right side.
13 See K. T. McDonald, Am. J. Phys. 65, 1074 (1997), and references therein.
16 Elements of Classical Electrodynamics
θ
r
Fig. 1.3 The vector r from the middle of the antenna wire to the point of observation.
where eθ = x̂ cos θ cos φ + ŷ cos θ sin φ − ẑ sin θ is the polar-angle unit vector at x, y, z
in spherical coordinates. The cycle-averaged Poynting vector,
2
I2 cos[ 21 kL cos θ) − cos 21 kL
r
1 µ0
S(r) = E × H = E × B = r̂ m , (1.4.7)
µ0 8π 2 r2 ǫ0 sin θ sin 12 kL
follows by simple algebra and the identity eθ ×eφ = r̂. The radiated power is therefore
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United
States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License
included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the
laws of the country where you are located before using this
eBook.
• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the
method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The
fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark,
but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to
the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty
payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on
which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your
periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked
as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information
about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation.”
• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.
1.F.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in
paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of
other ways including checks, online payments and credit card
donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.
Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org.