Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-symmetry-and-relativity-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2022/1/e/solution

Let . The Lorenz gauge condition on the plane electromagnetic wave gives
The vacuum wave equation gives for a nonzero amplitude; equivalently and . Use the gauge transformation with
Because , this is a residual Lorenz gauge symmetry and . For a propagating plane electromagnetic wave, , so take . Then
The second equality follows from . The electric field and magnetic field are unchanged by this gauge transformation. Thus Lorenz gauge permits a representative in radiation gauge; Lorenz gauge alone does not require the spatial amplitude of every representative to be transverse.

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