Charge density and four-current
ID: past-exam-of-the-optics-and-electrodynamics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2018/section-b/b4/charge-density-and-four-current
Past exam of the optics and electrodynamics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 Section B B4 Charge density and four-current by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Let an object be at rest in , with proper charge density and no rest-frame current. In a frame moving at relative to it, the object moves with velocity . A simultaneous volume element is Lorentz-contracted along the motion, , while its charge is invariant. ThereforeThe object's four-velocity in this frame is , soA scalar proper density times a Lorentz four-vector transforms as a Lorentz four-vector, demonstrating the claim. With the alternative convention that denotes the object's velocity in the observer frame, the spatial component is instead. Summing the four-currents of different carrier species preserves this transformation law even when the combined current has no rest frame, as for a lab-neutral current-carrying wire.
New to topics? Read the docs here!