PH-602 Electrodynamics I

1. Maxwell’s equations. Gauge transformation, Poynting vector, energy transport, momentum and angular momentum in an electromagnetic field.
2. Conservation laws, relation to symmetry.
3. Plane electromagnetic waves in a non-conducting and conducting medium, propagation in a dispersive medium, reflection, refraction, total internal reflection. Simple microscopic models of dielectric constant.
4. Wave guides and resonant cavities, TE/TM and TEM modes, power losses, application to ionosphere.
5. Radiation by moving charges. Lienard-Wiechert potentials and fields, causality. General angular and frequency distributions of radiation from accelerated charges, bremsstrahlung.
6. Thompson scattering, Cherenkov radiation, fields and radiation of localized oscillating sources. Electric dipole fields and radiation, magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole fields. Analysis of multipole fields using vector spherical harmonics. Spherical wave expansion of a vector plane wave. Scattering of electromagnetic wave by a conducting sphere.

Recommended texts:

• Classical Electrodynamics, J.D. Jackson. (John-Wiley, 3rd edition, 2000)
• Classical Electromagnetic Radiation, J.B.Marion and M.A.Heald, (Thomson Brooks, 1994)