Physics 506 Winter 2006

Homework Assignment #8 Solutions

Textbook problems: Ch. 11: 11.13, 11.16, 11.18, 11.27

11.13 An infinitely long straight wire of negligible cross-sectional area is at rest and has a
uniform linear charge density q0 in the inertial frame K 0 . The frame K 0 (and the
wire) move with a velocity ~v parallel to the direction of the wire with respect to the
laboratory frame K.
a) Write down the electric and magnetic fields in cylindrical coordinates in the rest
frame of the wire. Using the Lorentz transformation properties of the fields, find
the components of the electric and magnetic fields in the laboratory.
Starting in the K 0 frame, we take the wire to be oriented along the z direction.
Since the charges are at rest in K 0 , there is no magnetic field. The electric field
is given by a simple application of Gauss law. Thus (in cylindrical coordinates,
and with Gaussian units)

~ 0 = 2q0 ,
E ~0 = 0
B
0

~ = (v/c)
We now transform to the lab frame K using a boost along the z axis z.
In general, the electric and magnetic fields are related by
2
~ = (E
E ~0 ~ 0 ) (
~B ~
~E
~ 0)
+1
2
~ = (B
B ~0 + ~ 0 ) (
~E ~
~B
~ 0)
+1

In this case, since B ~E

~ 0 = 0 and ~ 0 = 0 we have simply

~ 0 = 2q0
~ = E
E
0
~E
~ =
B ~ 0 = 2vq0
c0

Finally, noting that the direction is transverse to the boost, we have the simple
relation 0 = . Thus we find

~ = 2q0 ,
E ~ = 2vq0
B (1)
c

b) What are the charge and current densities associated with the wire in its rest
frame? In the laboratory?
 In the rest frame, and in cylindrical coordinates, the charge density may be
expressed as
(0 )
0 = q 0
20
Since the 3-current vanishes, the 4-current density may be written as

(0 )
 
0
J = cq0 ,0
20

Boosting back to the lab frame K gives

 
~
00 0 () ()
J = (J , J 0) = cq0 , vq0 z
2 2

where we once again used the fact that = 0 . The explicit charge and 3-current
densities are
() ()
= q0 , J~ = vq0 z (2)
2 2

c) From the laboratory charge and current densities, calculate directly the electric
and magnetic fields in the laboratory. Compare with the results of part a).
From (2), the wire in the lab frame has linear charge density q0 and carries a
current I = vq0 in the z direction. Gauss law and Amp`eres law then gives

~ = 2q0 ,
E ~ = 2vq0
B
c

in agreement with the result (1) of a).

11.16 In the rest frame of a conducting medium the current density satisfies Ohms law,
J~0 = E
~ 0 , where is the conductivity and primes denote quantities in the rest frame.
a) Taking into account the possibility of convection current as well as conduction
current, show that the covariant generalization of Ohms law is

1
J 2
(U J )U = F U
c c
where U is the 4-velocity of the medium.
There are several methods for obtaining the covariant generalization of Ohms
law. We start by taking the rest frame result J~0 = E
~ 0 and converting 3-vectors
into 4-vectors. To do so, we note that the rest frame may be defined as the frame
where the 4-velocity has the form

U 0 = (c, 0)
 This allows us to realize the electric field as a contraction of the Maxwell field
strength tensor with the 4-velocity

~ 0)
F 0 U0 = (0, cE

Thus the right hand side of Ohms law can be written as

~ 0 ) = F 0 U0
(0, E (3)
c
The left hand side of Ohms law ought to be the 3-vector current density. It is
natural to take J~0 J 0 . However, this contains more than the 3-current, since
it includes the charge density 0 as well. Because 0 is not involved in Ohms law,
we need to subtract it out. This can be done by noting that J 0 U0 = c2 0 . Hence

1
(0, J~0 ) = J 0 2 (J 0 U0 )U 0 (4)
c

Combining (3) and (4) gives the covariant form of Ohms law

1
J (J U )U
= F U (5)
c2 c
where we have now dropped all primes, since the equation is in covariant form
(ie frame independent). Note that this can equivalently be written as

1
J = F U + 2 (J U )U
c c
where the first term on the right corresponds to the conduction current and the
second to the convection current (charge times velocity, where charge is given by
the Lorentz invariant J U and the velocity is given by U ).

b) Show that if the medium has a velocity ~v = c ~ with respect to some inertial
frame that the 3-vector current in that frame is

J~ = [E ~B
~ + ~
~ ( ~ E)]
~ + ~v

where is the charge density observed in that frame.

Working in the (inertial) lab frame, we take

U = (c, ~v ), ~
J = (c, J)

Substiting this into (5) and noting that

1 1 ~
2
J U = ( 2 ~v J)
c c
 we obtain the time component equation

v 2 2 + 2~v J~ = ~v E
~ (6)

as well as the space components equation

2 ~ + 1 ~v B)
J~ 2 ~v + 2 ~v (~v J)
~ = (E ~ (7)
c c

Solving (6) for ~v J~ and substituting this into (7) gives

J~ = [E ~B
~ + ~
~ ( ~ E)]
~ + ~v (8)

This gives an explicit realization of the conduction and convection currents (the
latter being the ~v term in the above).
c) If the medium is uncharged in its rest frame (0 = 0), what is the charge den-
sity and the expression for J~ in the frame of part b)? This is the relativistic
generalization of the equation J~ = (E
~ + ~v B)
~ (see p. 320).

Note that if the medium is uncharged in its rest frame, the 4-current must satisfy
the relation J U = 0. In this case, the covariant Ohms law (5) reduces to

J = F U
c

~ and U = (c, ~v ) in the above then gives directly

Taking J = (c, J)

~ ~ ~ B)
= ( E), J~ = (E
~ + ~
c

It is straightforward to check that this is consistent with (8) obtained above.

11.18 The electric and magnetic fields of a particle of charge q moving in a straight line with
speed v = c, given by (11.152), become more and more concentrated as 1, as
is indicated in Fig. 11.9. Choose axes so that the charge moves along the z axis in
the positive direction, passing the origin at t = 0. Let the spatial coordinates of the
observation point be (x, y, z) and define the transverse vector ~r , with components x
and y. Consider the fields and the source in the limit of = 1.
a) Show that the fields can be written as

~ = 2q ~r (ct z);
E ~ = 2q v ~r (ct z)
B
2
r 2
r

where v is a unit vector in the direction of the particles velocity.

 ~ = (v/c)
We take the particle motion to be along the z direction, so that z . In
this case, the fields in the rest frame are given by
0
~ 0 = q~r ,
E ~0 = 0
B
r03
Boosting this back to the lab frame gives
2
E ~ 0 (
~ = E ~
~E
~ 0 ), ~E
~ =
B ~ (9)
+1

In particular, the latter expression indicates that once we compute the electric
~ the magnetic field follows from a simple cross product with velocity. To
field E,
proceed, we rewrite ~r 0 in terms of unprimed (lab) quantities. This may be done
by considering the explicit boost transformation

x0 = x, y 0 = y, z 0 = (z vt)

This gives
~r 0 = ~r + (z vt)
z
so that
~0 = q(~r + (z vt)
z)
E 2
(r + (z vt) ))3/2
2 2

Boosting back using (9) gives the lab frame electric field

~ = q(~r + (z vt)
z)
E 2
(r + (z vt) ))3/2
2 2

which is an exact expression, valid for any velocity . We are interested, however,
in the limit 1. This is equivalent to taking the limit . Here we may
use the fact that the denominator gets highly peaked, and approaches a delta
function in this limit. More precisely,

1 2
lim = 2 lim = 2 (B)
(A2 2 2
+B ) 3/2 2 2
A (1 + B )3/2 A

for any B and non-zero A. Taking A = r and B = z vt then gives the result

~ = 2q(~r + (z vt)
E
z) 2q~r
(z vt) = 2 (z vt)
r2 r

Since we have taken the limit v c, we finally arrive at

~ = 2q ~r (z ct),
E ~ =
B ~ = 2q v ~r (z ct)
~E
2
r 2
r
b) Show by substitution into the Maxwell equations that these fields are consistent
with a 4-vector source density

J = qcv (2) (~r )(ct z)

where the 4-vector v = (1, v).

Maxwells equations are F = (4/c)J . In particular, the time component
gives  
4 0 ~ ~ ~ ~r
J = E = 2q 2 (z ct)
c r
Using Gauss in two dimensions, it is easy to see that
 
~ ~r
2 = 2 (2) (~r )
r

Hence we obtain
J 0 = cq (2) (~r )(z ct)
In the space directions, we have

4 ~ ~
1 E ~r
  
~
r

J = ~ B
+ ~ = 2q (z ct) + 2q
0 ~ z (z ct)
c c t r2 r2
  
~r 0 ~r
= 2q 2 (z ct) + 2q
z z 2 0 (z ct)
r r
    
~ ~
r ~ ~r
+ 2q z 2 (
z ) 2 (z ct)
r r
z (2) (~r )(z ct)
= 4q

~ = z .) Noting that v = z, this is equivalent to

(Note that z

J~ = cq
v (2) (~r )(z ct)

Putting together the time and space components gives

J = cq(1, v) (2) (~r )(z ct)

c) Show that the fields of part a) are derivable from either of the following 4-vector
potentials
A0 = Az = 2q(ct z) ln(r ); ~ = 0
A
or
A0 = 0 = Az ; ~ = 2q(ct z)
A ~ ln(r )
where is an irrelevant parameter setting the scale of the logarithm. Show that
the two potentials differ by a gauge transformation and find the gauge function,
.

For the first case (A0 = Az non-vanishing) we have

~
E ~ 0 1 A = 2q [(z
~ = A ~ 2q
ct) ln(r )] + z [(z ct) ln(r )]
c t c t
~ ln(r ) + 2q
= 2q(z ct) z 0 (z ct) ln(r )
z 0 (z ct) ln(r )
2q
r
= 2q(z ct) 2
r

and
~ =
B ~ A
~ = 2q
~ [
z (z ct) ln(r )]
~ [(z ct) ln(r )
= 2q z]
~r v ~r
= 2q 2 z(z ct) = 2q 2 (z ct)
r r

~ non-vanishing) we have
For the second case (A

~ ln(r ) = 2q(ct z) ~r
~ = 2q(ct z)
A 2
r

This gives
~
~ = 1 A = 2q(ct z) ~r
E
c t 2
r

and
 
~ ~ ~ ~ ~r
B = A = 2q (ct z) 2
r
 
~r ~ ~r
= 2q(ct z) z 2 2q(ct z) 2
r r
v ~r
= 2q 2 (ct z)
r

2
(since the function ~r /r ~ ln(r ) is curl-free).
=
The above two vector potentials are necessarily related by a gauge transformation
through
A(1) A(2) =
 To find the explicit gauge transformation, we write

= A(1) A(2)
~ ln(r ) (ct z) ln(r )


= 2q (ct z) ln(r ), (ct z) z
 

~ ln(r )+ z (ct z) ln(r )
= 2q (ct z) ln(r ), (ct z)
ct z
 
~ (ct z) ln(r )
= 2q ,
x0

We thus conclude that the gauge function is

= 2q(ct z) ln(r )

11.27 a) A charge density 0 of zero total charge, but with a dipole moment p~, exists in
reference frame K 0 . There is no current density in K 0 . The frame K 0 moves with
~ in the frame K. Find the charge and current densities and J~
a velocity ~v = c
in the frame K and show that there is a magnetic dipole moment, m ~ = (~ ~
p )/2,
correct to first order in . What is the electric dipole moment in K to the same
order in ?
We assume the charge density 0 is static (independent of time t0 ) in the rest
frame. Thus 0 = 0 (~x 0 ) is only a function of ~x 0 . Furthermore, we define
Z Z
0 0 3 0
0=q d x, p~ ~x 0 0 d3 x0
0

We use the prime notation (ie p~ 0 ) to denote the electric dipole in the rest frame.
To boost to the lab frame K, we first construct the 4-vector current J 0 = (c0 , 0).
The boosted current is then

~ 0)
J = (c0 , c

while the coordinates are related by

x0 = (x00 + ~ ~x 0 )
1~ ~ (10)
~x = ~x 0 + ~ 00
( ~x 0 ) + x
2

As a result, the lab frame charge and current densities are

(x0 , ~x) = 0 (~x 0 ), ~ 0 , ~x) = ~v 0 (~x 0 )

J(x

~
where ~x 0 may be given by the boost ~x 0 = ~x + [( 1)/ 2 ]( ~ ~x) x
~ 0 , and
we recall that 0 is independent of x00 .
 In the lab frame, we define the electric and magnetic dipole moments as integra-
tions over the source distrbutions at a fixed lab time x0 . For simplicity, we take
x0 = 0. In this case, the boost relations (10) may be solved to give x00 = ~ ~x 0
as well as
~ ~
~x = ~x 0 ( ~x 0 )
+1
At fixed x0 time, the 3-volume integration in frames K and K 0 are related by
Z Z 
3 1 3 0
d x= d x
x0 =const

We now have enough information to relate moments computed in frames K and

K 0 . In particular, for the magnetic dipole moment, we have
Z  3 0
Z 
1 ~ x=3 1 0 ~ ~ 0) d x
~ ~x ) ( c
0
m
~ = ~x Jd ~x (
2c 2c +1
Z  Z 
1 ~ 0 d3 x0 = 1 ~x0 0 d3 x0 ~
= ~x 0
2 2
= 12 p~ 0 ~

In fact, this is exact, not just to first order, but to all orders in . The electric
dipole moment calculation is similar

d3 x0
Z Z  
0 ~ ~
p~ = 3
~x d x = ~x ( ~x ) 0
0
+1
Z  
~ ~
= ~x 0 ( ~x 0 ) 0 d3 x0
+1
~ ~ 0
= p0 ( p~ )
+1

(If we had non-zero total charge, this expression would be corrected by the addi-
tion of a q 0~v t term; this was not apparent in the above, since we had only worked
at fixed time t = 0.) This indicates that, the electric dipole moment remains
uncorrected to first order in , ie p~ = p~ 0 + O( 2 ).
b) Instead of the charge density, but no current density, in K 0 consider no charge
density, but a current density J~0 that has a magnetic dipole moment m.~ Find the
charge and current densities in K and show that to first order in there is an
electric dipole moment p~ = ~m ~ in addition to the magnetic dipole moment.
In this case, the 4-current densities are
 
~ 1 ~ ~ ~0
J 0
= (0, J~0 ), J = ~0 ~0
J , J + ( J )
2
For the lab electric dipole moment, we have
~ ~0 d3 x0
Z Z  
3 0 ~ ~ 0
p~ = ~x d x = ~x ( ~x ) J
+1 c
Z   (11)
1 ~ ~ ~ J~0 ) d3 x0
= ~x 0 ( ~x 0 ) (
c +1
We now recall the identity (written in 3-space, and without primes for simplicity,
but valid in either K or K 0 )
Z Z Z
xi Jj d x = 2 (xi Jj + xj Ji )d x + 2 (xi Jj xj Ji )d3 x
3 1 3 1

Z Z
1 3 1 ~ k d3 x
= 2 Jk k (xj xj ) d x + 2 ijk [~x J]
Z Z
1 ~ J)
= 2 xi xj ( ~ d x + ijk [~x J]
3 1 ~ k d3 x
2

(where we have used integration by parts). In the K 0 frame, and with a static
~ 0 J~0 = 0. Moreover, the antisymmetric term corresponds to
current density,
the magnetic dipole moment m ~ 0 . This indicates that
Z
x0i Jj0 d3 x0 = cijk m0k

Inserting this into (11) gives

pi = ijk j m0k i j jln l m0n = ijk j m0k
+1
or, in vector notation
~m
p~ = ~ 0
The magnetic dipole moment picks up a correction
Z
1
m~ = ~x J~ d3 x
2c
Z     3 0
1 ~ ~ 1 ~ ~ d x
= 0
~x ( ~x ) J~ +
0 0
2
( J~ )
0
2c +1
Z  
1 ~ J~ )(~ ~x ) 1 ~ ~x )(
~ J~ ) d3 x0
= ~x J~
0
( 0 0
2
( 0 0
2c +1
 
1 0 1 1 ~ ~m
= m ~ + 2
~ 0 (
( 2 m ~ 0 ))
2 +1
1 ~ ~
= (1 21 2 )m ~ 0 ( m~ 0)
2( + 1)
To first order in , this is simply m ~ 0 +O( 2 ). Finally, we note that the results
~ =m
of a) and b) are not directly related by electric/magnetic duality. This is because
physically there is actually a subtle difference between magnetic dipole moments
generated by current loops versus ones generated by magnetic monopoles.