Relativistic charge density of counterstreaming beams

ID: relativistic-charge-density-of-counterstreaming-beams

Two equal opposite line charge densities moving in opposite directions have zero net line charge but a nonzero total current . Under a longitudinal Lorentz boost, the charge-current four-vector gives . Equivalently, for lab densities and speeds , their separate boosted number densities are . Their imbalance creates the boosted radial electric field, consistently with Lorentz transformation of electromagnetic fields and Gauss's law.

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