engleski

Electromagnetic momentum and energy and the Boyer-Rohrlich controversy

It is shown in this paper that the Lorentz contraction (LC) and the usual transformations of the electric and magnetic three-vectors (3-Vs) E and B are the apparent transformations (AT) referring to the same measurement in different inertial frames of reference, and they are not in agreement with the special relativity (SR). The true transformations (TT), that are in accordance with the SR, refer to the same physical quantity represented by the four-dimensional spacetime tensor. The electric and magnetic 4-Vs E and B , whose transformations are the TT, are introduced and the covariant Maxwell equations with E and B are constructed. Then it is shown that the usual synchronous definitions of the electromagnetic energy and momentum are incorrect from the relativity viewpoint since they contain both, the AT of the volume, the LC, and the AT of the 3-Vs E and B. Rohrlich's covariant expression for the electromagnetic 4-momentum P , Eq.(11) here, with the energy momentum density tensor T , Eq.(12) here, also becomes incorrect from the relativity viewpoint when it is expressed by the 3-Vs E and B, and when the AT for E and B are used. A manifestly covariant expression for P is constructed expressing T in terms of E and B . All parts of P transform according to the TT, i.e., in agreement with the SR. The "4/3" problem in the electromagnetic mass of the electron is discussed and it is shown that all previous treatments either contain the AT of the volume, or the AT of the 3-Vs E and B, or both of them, and thus are not in accordance with the SR. In our approach all quantities are 4D spacetime tensors whose transformations are the TT.

Boyer-Rohrlich controversy

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