Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-theoretical-physics-i-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2016/paper-1/2/b/solution
Past exam of the theoretical physics I course of the University of Cambridge 2016 Paper 1 2 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
In the same Minkowski metric and electromagnetic units, . Differentiating givesTo simplify the last two terms, contract with . Its first and third terms are equal, and its middle term is . Raising therefore gives . The cancellation leavesThis is the electromagnetic stress-energy divergence identity in rationalized units. As a sign check, is positive and is the Poynting vector. The integrated four-momentum is conserved if the boundary flux vanishes. With matter sources, the electromagnetic field alone instead obeys : energy and momentum transfer to matter restore conservation of the total stress-energy tensor.
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