Paper 2, Section I, 6C\mathbf{6 C}

Electromagnetism | Part IB, 2010

Write down Maxwell's equations for electromagnetic fields in a non-polarisable and non-magnetisable medium.

Show that the homogenous equations (those not involving charge or current densities) can be solved in terms of vector and scalar potentials A\mathbf{A} and ϕ\phi.

Then re-express the inhomogeneous equations in terms of A,ϕ\mathbf{A}, \phi and f=A+c2ϕ˙f=\nabla \cdot \mathbf{A}+c^{-2} \dot{\phi}. Show that the potentials can be chosen so as to set f=0f=0 and hence rewrite the inhomogeneous equations as wave equations for the potentials. [You may assume that the inhomogeneous wave equation 2ψc2ψ¨=σ(x,t)\nabla^{2} \psi-c^{-2} \ddot{\psi}=\sigma(\mathbf{x}, t) always has a solution ψ(x,t)\psi(\mathbf{x}, t) for any given σ(x,t)\sigma(\mathbf{x}, t).]

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