From Electrostatics to Optics

This textbook on classical electrodynamics differs from the existing literature by its rigorous derivation of Maxwell's theory from electrostatics and the Lorentz transformations of special relativity. It treats, among others, topics such as phenomenology, radiation, and modern optics in detail. It addresses students of theoretical physics.

Inhalt

0. Preliminaries.- 0.0 Historical Introduction.- 0.1 Some Topics of Analysis in ?3.- 0.2 The Laplace Equation.- 0.3 Problems.- 1. Electrostatics in Vacuum.- 1.1 Electric Charge, Field Strength and the Equations of Electrostatics.- 1.2 Multipole Expansion.- 1.3 Boundary Value Problems and Eigenfunction Expansion.- 1.4 Green's Functions.- 1.5 Energy of the Electric Field.- 1.6 Problems.- 2. The Relativity Principles and Maxwell's Equations.- 2.1 A Review of Special Relativity.- 2.2 Tensors in Minkowski Space.- 2.3 Lorentz Force and the Electromagnetic Field Tensor.- 2.4 Maxwell's Equations.- 2.5 Discussion of Maxwell's Equations, Induction Law.- 2.6 Conservation Laws.- 2.7 Problems.- 3. Electrodynamics in Vacuum.- 3.1 Stationary Magnetic Fields.- 3.2 Motion of Particles in Electromagnetic Fields.- 3.3 Electromagnetic Radiation.- 3.4 Production of Radiation, Electromagnetic Potentials.- 3.5 Electromagnetic Fields of Moving Particles.- 3.6 Lagrange Formalism of Electrodynamics.- 3.7 Problems.- 4. Phenomenological Electrodynamics in Simple Matter.- 4.1 Derivation of the Phenomenological Maxwell's Equations.- 4.2 Phenomenological Maxwell's Equations and Constitutive Relations.- 4.3 Macroscopic Conservation Laws, Boundary Conditions.- 4.4 Motion of Particles Through Matter.- 4.5 Problems.- 5. Optics.- 5.1 Reflection and Refraction.- 5.2 Light Scattering.- 5.3 Geometrical Optics.- 5.4 Diffraction.- 5.5 The Laser An Optical Trumpet.- 5.6 Problems.- 6. Epilogue: Quantum Electrodynamics.