Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2007/ii/paper-2/9c/solution

The Euler-Lagrange equations are
Using time independence of the vector potential gives , which is the component form of
Taking its scalar product with the velocity shows : the kinetic energy is constant, since the magnetic force does no work.
For , the equations give and . Thus and are constants of motion. Substitution into yields
The constant in this representation is nonpositive. The gauge choice also makes the conserved transverse canonical momenta explicit.

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