1.II.34E

Electrodynamics | Part II, 2007

Frame S′\mathcal{S}^{\prime} is moving with uniform speed vv in the zz-direction relative to a laboratory frame S\mathcal{S}. Using Cartesian coordinates and units such that c=1c=1, the relevant Lorentz transformation is

t′=γ(t−vz),x′=x,y′=y,z′=γ(z−vt)t^{\prime}=\gamma(t-v z), \quad x^{\prime}=x, \quad y^{\prime}=y, \quad z^{\prime}=\gamma(z-v t)

where γ=1/1−v2\gamma=1 / \sqrt{1-v^{2}}. A straight thin wire of infinite extent lies along the zz-axis and carries charge and current line densities σ\sigma and JJ per unit length, as measured in S\mathcal{S}. Stating carefully your assumptions show that the corresponding quantities in S′\mathcal{S}^{\prime} are given by

σ′=γ(σ−vJ),J′=γ(J−vσ)\sigma^{\prime}=\gamma(\sigma-v J), \quad J^{\prime}=\gamma(J-v \sigma)

Using cylindrical polar coordinates, and the integral forms of the Maxwell equations ∇⋅E=μ0ρ\nabla \cdot \mathbf{E}=\mu_{0} \rho and ∇×B=μ0j\nabla \times \mathbf{B}=\mu_{0} \mathbf{j}, derive the electric and magnetic fields outside the wire in both frames.

In a standard notation the Lorentz transformation for the electric and magnetic fields is

E∥′=E∥,B∥′=B∥,E⊥′=γ(E⊥+v×B⊥),B⊥′=γ(B⊥−v×E⊥)\mathbf{E}_{\|}^{\prime}=\mathbf{E}_{\|}, \quad \mathbf{B}_{\|}^{\prime}=\mathbf{B}_{\|}, \quad \quad \mathbf{E}_{\perp}^{\prime}=\gamma\left(\mathbf{E}_{\perp}+\mathbf{v} \times \mathbf{B}_{\perp}\right), \quad \mathbf{B}_{\perp}^{\prime}=\gamma\left(\mathbf{B}_{\perp}-\mathbf{v} \times \mathbf{E}_{\perp}\right)

Is your result consistent with this?

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