Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2009/ii/paper-3/36c/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 ii Paper 3 36C Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Use and metric signature , consistent with the supplied rest potential. In the Lorenz gauge, the Maxwell equations reduce to wave equations for the four-potential. A point worldline has current , where . Convolution with the retarded wave Green function gives the stated integral: its support is the future light cone of each source point and it excludes incoming advanced signals.
For uniform motion , . Let . The delta-function argument has derivative . Only the retarded root survives the step function, soPut , , and . The light-cone condition is , whenceTherefore, away from the worldline,As an independent check, in the rest frame and . Its potential is . A Lorentz transformation gives , , exactly the expression above because . Restoring SI units would require restoring the factors of in both the four-potential convention and the supplied electrostatic normalization.
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