Vanishing field components

ID: past-exam-of-the-optics-and-electrodynamics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2018/section-b/b3/vanishing-field-components

For a dipole along , axial symmetry removes dependence on azimuth . In the Lorenz gauge, its magnetic vector potential points along , so it has spherical components , and . The scalar potential is also independent of . Thus , while taking leaves only an azimuthal magnetic field:
The generally nonzero components are . This statement includes the full dipole near field. In the leading radiation zone term, also vanishes; its nonzero full-field contributions fall faster than . Confusing those two levels of approximation would incorrectly suggest four exact zeros everywhere.

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