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ϕ is known as a velocity potential for u. A velocity potential is not unique. If ϕ is a velocity potential, then ϕ + f(t) is also a velocity potential for u, where f(t) is a scalar function of time and can be constant. Velocity potentials are unique up to a constant, or a function solely of the temporal variable.
The Liénard–Wiechert potentials describe the classical electromagnetic effect of a moving electric point charge in terms of a vector potential and a scalar potential in the Lorenz gauge. Stemming directly from Maxwell's equations , these describe the complete, relativistically correct, time-varying electromagnetic field for a point charge in ...
The potential equations can be simplified using a procedure called gauge fixing. Since the potentials are only defined up to gauge equivalence, we are free to impose additional equations on the potentials, as long as for every pair of potentials there is a gauge equivalent pair that satisfies the additional equations (i.e. if the gauge fixing ...
A particular choice of the scalar and vector potentials is a gauge (more precisely, gauge potential) and a scalar function ψ used to change the gauge is called a gauge function. [citation needed] The existence of arbitrary numbers of gauge functions ψ(r, t) corresponds to the U(1) gauge freedom of this theory. Gauge fixing can be done in many ...
Position vectors r and r′ used in the calculation. The starting point is Maxwell's equations in the potential formulation using the Lorenz gauge: =, = where φ(r, t) is the electric potential and A(r, t) is the magnetic vector potential, for an arbitrary source of charge density ρ(r, t) and current density J(r, t), and is the D'Alembert operator. [2]
Another symmetry arises from gauge freedom, which is intrinsic to the field equations. Fields which correspond to interactions may be gauge fields , which means they can be derived from a potential, and certain values of potentials correspond to the same value of the field.
The transformations between possible gauges, called gauge transformations, form a Lie group—referred to as the symmetry group or the gauge group of the theory. Associated with any Lie group is the Lie algebra of group generators. For each group generator there necessarily arises a corresponding field (usually a vector field) called the gauge ...
The velocity potential is not uniquely defined since one can add to it an arbitrary function of time, say (), without affecting the relevant physical quantity which is . The non-uniqueness is usually removed by suitably selecting appropriate initial or boundary conditions satisfied by φ {\displaystyle \varphi } and as such the procedure may ...