Electrodynamics E 1100-3Ind05

Classical electrodynamics gave birth to field theoretic description of interactions and paved the way to theoretical unification of fundamental forces. Its understanding is a prerequisite to the quantum theory of fundamental interactions. Methods developed in electrodynamics are universal and find applications in many branches of physics.

Program:
1. Basic laws of classical electrodynamics: Maxwell's laws in vacuum, electromagnetic potentials, symmetries and conservation laws, invariance under Lorentz transformations.
2. Covariant formulation: space-time, fourtensors, elements of classical field theory, Lagrangian, Hamilton's principle, equations of motion, Noether's theorem, charge in external electromagnetic field, Aharonov-Bohm effect.
3. Maxwell's equations in matter: macroscopic fields, boundary conditions at interfaces of different media.
4. Electrostatics: basic equations, Dirichlet and Neuman problem, Green's function, multipole expansion, energy, force and torque of electrostatic field.
5. Magnetostatics and stationary currents: basic laws, analogy to electrostatics, potentials, stationary currents, energy, force and torque of magnetic field.
6. Time-varying electromagnetic fields: electromagnetic fields in vacuum and in matter, Green's functions, dispersion relations, multipole expansion for time-varying fields, elements of diffraction theory, geometric optics.

This instruction is not a strict translation of the polish version.

Description by Jan Kalinowski, November 2009.