Electromagnetic field classical theory

In the Coulomb gauge the scalar potential obeys the Poisson equation  

Thus in the Coulomb gauge the scalar potential is defined entirely by the Coulomb interaction. This makes the Coulomb gauge convenient for atomic calculations. The noncovariance of the Coulomb gauge is unimportant in this case since in atoms we always have the preferable frame of reference connected with the atomic nucleus. 

For further applications we have to write down the electromagnetic field equations in 4-dimensional form. Then we have to use the Lorentz gauge. The Eqs(34) for the potentials become  

The Maxwell equations can be written most easily with the use of the electromagnetic field tensor  

The components of this tensor are connected with the components of the field strength vectors by the relations  

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We have therefore achieved our objective in that equation (3.83), which is correct to order 1 /c2, contains even operators only. It would, of course, be possible to proceed further with the Foldy Wouthuysen transformation but there is little point in doing so, since the theory is inaccurate in other respects. For example, we have treated the electromagnetic field classically, instead of using quantum field theory. Furthermore, we shall ultimately be interested in many-electron diatomic molecules, for which it will be necessary to make a number of assumptions and approximations. 

Placzek s theory (1934) which treats molecules as quantum objects and electromagnetic fields classically, satisfactorily describes the Raman effect on the condition that the exciting frequency differs considerably from the frequencies of electronic as well as of vibrational transitions. 

Quantization of the Electromagnetic Field.—Instead of proceeding as in the previous discussion of spin 0 and spin particles, we shall here adopt essentially the opposite point of view. Namely, instead of formulating the quantum theory of a system of many photons in terms of operators and showing the equivalence of this formalism to the imposition of quantum rules on classical electrodynamics, we shall take as our point of departure certain commutation rules which we assume the field operators to satisfy. We shall then show that a... 

Before embarking on the problem of the interaction of the negaton-positon field with the quantized electromagnetic field, we shall first consider the case of the negaton-positon field interacting with an external, classical (prescribed) electromagnetic field. We shall also outline in the present chapter those aspects of the theory of the S-matrix that will be required for the treatment of quantum electrodynamics. Section 10.4 presents a treatment of the Dirac equation in an external field. 

In contrast to mechanics, electromagnetic field theory, or relativity, where the names of Newton, Maxwell, and Einstein stand out uniquely, the foundations of thermodynamics originated from the thinking of over half a dozen individuals Carnot, Mayer, Joule, Helmholtz, Rankine, Kelvin, and Clausius [1]. Each person provided cmcial steps that led to the grand synthesis of the two classic laws of thermodynamics. 

In the classical theory of scattering (Cohen-Tannoudji et al. 1977, James 1982), atoms are considered to scatter as dipole oscillators with definite natural frequencies. They undergo harmonic vibrations in the electromagnetic field, and emit radiation as a result of the oscillations. 

The Time Dependent Processes Section uses time-dependent perturbation theory, combined with the classical electric and magnetic fields that arise due to the interaction of photons with the nuclei and electrons of a molecule, to derive expressions for the rates of transitions among atomic or molecular electronic, vibrational, and rotational states induced by photon absorption or emission. Sources of line broadening and time correlation function treatments of absorption lineshapes are briefly introduced. Finally, transitions induced by collisions rather than by electromagnetic fields are briefly treated to provide an introduction to the subject of theoretical chemical dynamics. 

The accurate quantum mechanical first-principles description of all interactions within a transition-metal cluster represented as a collection of electrons and atomic nuclei is a prerequisite for understanding and predicting such properties. The standard semi-classical theory of the quantum mechanics of electrons and atomic nuclei interacting via electromagnetic waves, i.e., described by Maxwell electrodynamics, turns out to be the theory sufficient to describe all such interactions (21). In semi-classical theory, the motion of the elementary particles of chemistry, i.e., of electrons and nuclei, is described quantum mechanically, while their electromagnetic interactions are described by classical electric and magnetic fields, E and B, often represented in terms of the non-redundant four components of the 4-potential, namely the scalar potential and the vector potential A. 

In the previous section we presented the semi-classical electron-electron interaction we treated the electrons quantum mechanically but assumed that they interact via classical electromagnetic fields. The Breit retardation is only an approximate treatment of retardation and we shall now consider a more consistent treatment of the electron-electron interaction operator that also provides a bridge to relativistic DFT, which is current-density functional theory. For the correct description we have to take the quantization of electromagnetic fields into account (however, we will discuss only old, i.e., pre-1940 quantum electrodynamics). This means the two moving electrons interact via exchanged virtual photons with a specific angular frequency u>... 

The process of total reflection of an incident wave in an optically dense medium against the interface of an optically less dense medium turns out to be of particular and renewed interest with respect to the concepts of nontransverse and longitudinal waves. In certain cases this leads to questions not being fully understood in terms of classical electromagnetic field theory [26]. Two crucial problems that arise at a vacuum interface can be specified as follows ... 

The modern point of view is that, for every particle that exists, there is a corresponding field with wave properties. In the development of this viewpoint, the particle aspects of electrons and nuclei were evident at the beginning and the field or wave aspects were found later (this was the development of quantum mechanics). In contrast, the wave aspects of the photon were understood first (this was the classical electromagnetic theory of Maxwell) and its particle aspects only discovered later, From this modern viewpoint, the photon is the particle corresponding to the electromagnetic field. It is a particle with zero rest mass and spin one. 

In Cartesian notation, the Pauli-Lubanski vector of particle theory becomes a 4-vector of the classical electromagnetic field... 

How does one proceed to take the classical theory of electromagnetism, or Maxwell s equations, and cast them in a quantum mechanical context It is best to start with the definitions of the electric and magnetic fields... 

What has been presented here is a semiclassical theory of TJ 1) quantum electrodynamics. Here the electromagnetic field is treated in a purely classical manner, but where the electromagnetic potential has been normalized to include one photon per some unit volume. Here the absorption and emission of a photon is treated in a purely perturbative manner. Further, the field normalization is done so that each unit volume contains the equivalent of n photons and that the energy is computed accordingly. However, this is not a complete theory, for it is known that the transition probability is proportional to n + 1. So the semiclassical theory is only appropriate when the number of photons is comparatively large. 

If there is no explicit external electromagnetic field, the covariant field equations determine a self-interaction energy that can be interpreted as a dynamical electron mass Sm. Since this turns out to be infinite, renormalization is necessary in order to have a viable physical theory. Field quantization is required for quantitative QED. The classical field equation for the electromagnetic field can be solved explicitly using the Green function or Feynman propagator GPV, whose Fourier transform is —gllv/K2, where k = kp — kq is the 4-momentum transfer. The product of y0 and the field-dependent term in the Dirac Hamiltonian, Eq. (10.3), is... 

According to classical theory, Raman scattering can be explained as follows The electric field strength (E). of the electromagnetic wave (laser heard) fluctuates with time (t) as shown by Eq. (1-1) ... 

From classical field theory we know that the force on a particle of mass m, charge e, and velocity v which is moving in an electromagnetic field is given by... 

Classically, Raman spectroscopy arises from an induced dipole in a molecule resulting from the interaction of an electromagnetic field with a vibrating molecule. In electromagnetic theory, an induced dipole is a first-rank tensor formed from the dot product of the molecular polarizability and the oscillating electric field of the photon, (jl = a-E. Assuming a harmonic potential for the molecular vibration, and that the polarizability does not deviate significantly from its equilibrium value (a0) as a result of the vibration... 

Theory of the dielectric function. The discussion of absorption properties of astrophysically relevant solids is frequently based on the classical Lorentz model for dielectric materials. This assumes that the electrons and ions forming the solid matter are located at fixed equilibrium positions in the solid, determined by internal forces. An applied electromagnetic field shifts the charged particles, labeled by... 

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