Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-b-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2010/paper-1/section-b/b6/d/solution

Since , a magnetic field can locally be represented by a magnetic vector potential,
It is not unique: leaves its curl unchanged. In magnetostatics, choose the Coulomb gauge . Ampère's law then gives in vacuum. For a localized steady current distribution with the usual decay condition,
Its curl gives the Biot–Savart field. For a uniform field, one convenient choice is . Stokes's theorem relates to magnetic flux through a spanning surface. In time-dependent electrodynamics, ; changing by requires to preserve the electric field. Gauge freedom simplifies calculation without changing the electromagnetic observables.

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