Contents › Part 7

Part 7 — Classical Field Theory and Electrodynamics

1. Electrostatics
   • The electrostatic field
   • Methods for obtaining the potential
   • Electrostatic potential energy
   • Charge distributions in external fields
   • Electrostatics in macroscopic media
2. Magnetostatics
   • Steady currents
   • The discovery of electromagnetism
   • The field equations of magnetostatics
   • The vector potential
   • Magnetostatics in matter
   • Magnetic monopoles: the empirical status
3. The Maxwell Equations
   • Electromagnetic induction
   • The displacement current and the complete system
   • Potentials and gauge freedom
   • Conservation laws
   • The electromagnetic wave prediction
   • Structure of the theory
4. Electromagnetic Waves and Optics
   • Plane electromagnetic waves
   • The speed of light
   • Reflection and refraction
   • Polarization
   • Interference
   • Diffraction
   • Geometrical optics
   • Dispersion
5. Electrodynamics in Matter
   • From microscopic to macroscopic fields
   • Dielectrics
   • Conduction
   • Magnetic materials
   • Dispersion and causality
   • Free-carrier response and plasmas
   • Magneto- and electro-optics
6. Experiments: Electromagnetism experiment
   • The predictions under test
   • Coulomb: the torsion balance (1785)
   • Cavendish: the concentric spheres
   • Galvanic circuits: Ohm and Kirchhoff
   • Ørsted: the current and the needle (1820)
   • Ampère: the force between currents (1820)
   • Faraday: electromagnetic induction (1831–1832)
   • Weber and Kohlrausch: the ratio of the units (1856)
   • Hertz: electromagnetic waves (1888)
   • Millikan: the quantization of charge (1911–1913)
   • Modern repetitions and precision
7. Generalized Classical Field Theory
   • Fields as dynamical systems
   • The Euler–Lagrange field equations
   • Symmetries and conservation laws
   • The energy–momentum tensor
   • The electromagnetic field as a Lagrangian system
   • Massive vector fields: the Proca theory
   • Hamiltonian field theory
   • From classical fields to quanta
8. Radiation and Scattering of Electromagnetic Waves
   • Fields of a charge in arbitrary motion
   • Radiated power
   • Multipole radiation
   • Antennas
   • Radiation reaction
   • Scattering
   • Radiation from relativistic charges and in matter
9. Plasmas and Magnetohydrodynamics
   • The plasma state
   • Waves in a plasma
   • Kinetic theory and Landau damping
   • Single-particle motion
   • Magnetohydrodynamics
   • Magnetic reconnection
   • Instabilities and turbulence
   • Fusion and confinement
   • Space and astrophysical plasmas
10. Experiment: Wave Optics experiment
    • The predictions under test
    • Young: the double slit (1801–1804)
    • Fresnel and the Poisson–Arago spot (1818–1819)
    • The Fresnel–Arago laws and transversality
    • Diffraction gratings and wavelength metrology
    • Interferometry
    • Stellar interferometry
    • Gabor: holography and the recording of phase (1948, 1962)
    • Modern repetitions and precision