PX384 Electrodynamics

Erwin Verwichte

Electricity: electrum, Greek for amber or pale gold. Coined by William Gilbert
(1540-1603) for physical force generated by rubbing amber.
Magnetism: magnetum, lodestone from Magnesia region in Thessaly (Greece) where
magnetised ore was obtained.
Plasma: plasm, Greek for form, shape, something molded. Coined by Irving Langmuir
(1927), connected high-speed electrons and ions in electrified fluid with blood cells in
plasma of blood vessels.
PX384 - Electrodynamics

PX384 Electrodynamics
Erwin Verwichte
Module webpage: http://go.warwick.ac.uk/physics/teach/syllabi/year3/px384
http://go.warwick.ac.uk/physics/teach/module_home/px384
Additional material:
plasma formularium (handout)
plasma calculator (online)
Leads from: Electromagnetic Theory and Optics (PX263)
Leads to: Advanced Electrodynamics (PX472), Relativity & Electrodynamics (PX421)
and Physics of Fusion Power (PX438)
Recommended reading:
Electromagnetism, I.S. Grant & W.R. Phillips, John Wiley & Sons, 2nd ed.(1990).
Plasma Physics, R. O. Dendy, Oxford Science Publications (1990).
PX384 - Electrodynamics

PX384: Electrodynamics
I. Introduction
Revision of Maxwells equations

II. Electromagnetic potentials

Gauge theory

III. Single particle motion

Motion of particle in constant and varying EM fields

IV. Plasma state of matter

Collective behaviour of charged particles

V. Electromagnetic waves in media

EM waves in media, in particular in a plasma

PX384 - Electrodynamics

I. Introduction

PX384 - Electrodynamics

1. Maxwells equations in free space (microscopic)

. E =
o

Gauss Law

B
E =
t

. B = 0

Faradays Law

Solenoidal condition

E
B = o j + o o
t

Ampres + Maxwells Law

PX384 - Electrodynamics

With

E
(r,t) [Vm-1]

B (r,t) [T]

Electric field, force acting on unit charge

Magnetic induction, aka magnetic field

(r,t) [Cm-3]
j (r,t) [Am-2]

Electric charge density, charge per unit volume

Electric current density, current per unit surface

( r , t ) = qs ns ( r , t )
s

j ( r , t ) = qs ns us ( r , t )
s

n (r,t) [m-3]

u (r,t) [ms-1]
q
[C]

Number density, ne, ni for electron and ion resp.

Bulk velocity
Electric charge (qe= -e = -1.602 10-19 C)

o
o
co

Permittivity of free space = 8.854 10-12 Fm-1

Permeability of free space = 4 10-7 Hm-1
Speed of light in free space = (o o) -1/2

[Fm-1]
[Hm-1]
[ms-1]

PX384 - Electrodynamics

Also

FLorentz = qE + q v B

+ . j = 0
t

Lorentz force
Charge conservation

Follows from conservation of particles per species

j = E

j =E

Ohms Law

[C2N-1m2s-1] Conductivity, vacuum: 0, drinking water: 0.005

sea water: 5, copper: 60 106

S
I

I
U
=
= E
S
L
L

I = U
S
j=

= Resistence
PX384 - Electrodynamics

2. Maxwells equations in media (macroscopic)

.D = free

B
E =
t

. B = 0

D
H = jfree +
t

Gauss Law

Faradays Law

Solenoidal condition

Ampres + Maxwells Law

PX384 - Electrodynamics

2.1. Dielectric materials

D = oE + P r oE

P = ( r 1) o E

Electric displacement
Electric polarisation

= free + polarised , . E = / o and .D = free



. P = . D o. E = free = polarised

with

-p

The electric polarisation is linked with

the atomic electric dipole moment

P=n p =n

atom ( r )

dV

atom

PX384 - Electrodynamics

With

D(r,t)
[Cm-2]

P(r,t) [Cm-2]

p(r,t) [Cm]

Electric displacement, Mathematical construct

Electric polarisation
Electric dipole moment

[1]

Relative permittivity, vacuum: 1, air: 1.00059,

[1]

paraffin wax: 2-2.5, porcelain: 6

Electric susceptibility, E = r - 1 = P/D

PX384 - Electrodynamics

10

2.2. Magnetic materials

Magnetic field
H = o1 B M r1o1 B

Magnetisation
M = (r1 1)o1 B

j
=
j
+
j

B
=

H
=
jfree
with
and
free
magn ,
o

M = H + o1 B = jfree + j = jmagn
The magnetisation is linked with
M the atomic magnetic dipole moment

M = n = n r jatom ( r ) dV
2 V
PX384 - Electrodynamics

11

With

H(r,t)
[Cm-1s-1]

M(r,t) [Cm-1s-1]

(r,t) [Am2]

Magnetic field, Mathematical construct

Magnetisation
Magnetic dipole moment

[1]

Relative permeability, vacuum: 1,

[1]

water: 1.000008, copper: 1.000006,

transformer iron at B=2mT: 0.00025

Magnetic susceptibility, B = r 1 = M/H

- diamagnetism: induced opposite to B, B<0

- paramagnetism: permanent same sense to B, B>0

- ferromagnetism: strong alignment of permanent

PX384 - Electrodynamics

12

3. Inclusion of displacement current

D is the displacement current density, which was not included

t in Ampres original Law. Under what circumstances is this
omission justified?

We neglect the displacement

current

for the moment and

compare contribution of jfree with D / t in a solenoid.
Solenoid of N windings per unit length carries a time-varying current I(t) = I0sin(t).
S

B(t)

[Calculation I.1]

C
1. Current Magnetic field

B (t ) = o NI o sin(t )

I(t)
S

E(t)

2. Time-varying magnetic field Electric field

1
E (t ) = o NI 0 r cos(t )
2
PX384 - Electrodynamics

13

3. Electric field Displacement current density

D
1
= o o NI 0 r 2 sin(t )
t
2

L
R

4. Compare free and displacement currents

D
S t .dS /

1 R
S j .dS = 2 co

This ratio is small only if 2co/R

Example: A solenoid with R=5cm, using co ! 300000 km/s:
R
0.05

8 1011 = 5 1010
2co
6 108
As long as the driving frequency is less than 1 GHz, the displacement current
can be neglected.

Displacement current is important for high-frequency signals

PX384 - Electrodynamics

14

Exercises
Ex I.1: Write the dimensions of all quantities in terms of the basic SI units of
mass (kg), distance (m), time (s) and electric charge (C).
Ex I.2: Identify the scientists that contributed to EM theory on the money
notes.
Ex I.3: For a solenoid to have a meaningful displacement current with a
current drive frequency that matches BBC Radio 4 FM transmission, what is
the minimum radius of its coils?

Ex I.4: Use the integralversion of Gauss Law to find

the electric field, E ,
electric displacement, D , and electric polarisation, P, for a slab of dielelectric
of relative permittivity r which fills the space between z = a and contains a
uniform density of electric charges free per unit volume. Use the integral
version of
to find the surface density of polarisation charge on
the surface of the dielectric.
Ex I.5: A steady beam of electrons has a radius R and a uniform charge
density =-ene. Outside the beam there are no charges. Using Gauss Law,
calculate the electric field for the system. For this
coordinates
use cylindrical
1
and the radial part of the divergence operator . E r = r (rEr )/ r . Match
the solutions inside and outside the beam at r = R.

( )

PX384 - Electrodynamics

15