Tracking the radiation reaction energy when charged bodies accelerate

Andrew M. Steane

doi:10.1119/1.4914421

Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 1408.1349

Tracking the radiation reaction energy when charged bodies accelerate

Andrew M. Steane

View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

We address some questions related to radiation and energy conservation in classical electromagnetism. We first treat the well-known problem of energy accounting during radiation from a uniformly accelerating particle. We present the problem in the form of a paradox, and then answer it using a modern treatment of radiation reaction and self-force, as it appears in the expression due to Eliezer and Ford and O'Connell. We clarify the influence of the Schott force and the total radiated power, which differs from Larmor's formula. Finally, we present a simple and highly visual argument which enables one to track the radiated energy without the need to appeal to the far field in the distant future (the 'wave zone').

Explore related subjects

physics.class-ph

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Andrew M. Steane. 2014-08-06. Tracking the radiation reaction energy when charged bodies accelerate. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4914421

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Harmonic Vector Fields and Betti Numbers in Bounded Three-Dimensional Electromagnetic Domains

The topology of a bounded three-dimensional domain can strongly affect electromagnetic fields. In a topologically complex domain, a curl-free field may not have a globally single-valued scalar potential and a divergence-free field may also fail to have a global vector potential. These topological effects lead naturally to harmonic vector fields in the Helmholtz decomposition. This paper gives a geometric and constructive study of such fields using vector analysis, circulation integrals, cutting surfaces, scalar Laplace problems, Stokes' theorem, and Green's identity. The first Betti number is interpreted through independent handle-type circulations, whereas the second Betti number counts enclosed voids. Direct proofs are given for the dimensions of the Neumann and Dirichlet harmonic-field spaces. The analysis is also extended to anisotropic lossless media. The results provide a simple topological interpretation of harmonic fields and physical DC modes in bounded electromagnetic resonators.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2026

Impact of Phase Unwrapping on Multitarget Acoustic Lenses for Transcranial Holography

Acoustic lenses have been introduced recently to compensate for the phase distortions induced by the propagation across a human skull for ultrasonic deep-brain stimulation in humans. In this study, we present bifocal lenses that compensate for human skull aberrations and allow simultaneous targeting of multiple structures deep in the brain. We investigated the impact of phase unwrapping in the design of the lenses and how this process improves the distribution of pressure produced in N=5 human skulls for two different spatial arrangements of the targets. The results show that unwrapping the phase computed during the design increases the fidelity of the pressure field generated across the human skulls. The spatial precision is on average improved by 73%, and out of target energy deposition is on average reduced by 58%. The results presented in this study highlight the importance of phase unwrapping to optimize the safety and efficacy of future transcranial ultrasound stimulations targeting multiple regions.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2026

Contact mechanics and friction of soft materials: an apparatus combining multi-axes dynamical actuation/measurement and in situ/in operando visualisation

The mechanics and friction of contact interfaces involving soft materials like gel, rubber or human skin are of both fundamental and applied interest. Recent insights have been made into this field thanks to in situ observations of the contact interface. However, current soft-material-oriented tribometers enable only few degrees of freedom for the actuation of the contact, far from covering the richness of the loading conditions relevant to real tribological contacts. Here, we introduce an apparatus dedicated to the study of the contact mechanics and friction of soft materials which, in addition to in situ / in operando optical monitoring of the interface, enables simultaneous actuation along five degrees of freedom: three translations and two rotations. While all three translations feature large velocity/large stroke motion, the one responsible for normal contact loading can also apply high frequency/small amplitude vibrations. The contact's dynamical response is monitored using both a 6-axes force/torque sensor and a 6-axes displacement/rotation sensor. We first describe the structure of the apparatus, its implementation, alignment, calibration and resolutions. We then illustrate its capabilities through a series of experiments on elastomer contacts. Our apparatus will be useful to investigate the mechanics of a wide range of soft interfaces submitted to rich, tribology-relevant kinematic or dynamic stimuli.

physics.class-ph↗