Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2018 / ii / Paper 3 / 37D / Solution

Write the electromagnetic field tensor as $F^{\mu \nu }={\partial }^{\mu }{A}^{\nu }-{\partial }^{\nu }{A}^{\mu }$. Substitution into the Covariant Maxwell equation with the minus-plus-plus-plus metric givesChoose the Lorenz gauge ${\partial }_{\mu }{A}^{\mu }=0$. Since ${\partial }_{\mu }{\partial }^{\mu }={\nabla }^2-c^{-2}{\partial }_t^2$, the electromagnetic four-potential obeysConvolution with the outgoing retarded Green function gives the retarded electromagnetic potential

For the point particle, ${\tau }_{\ast }(x)$ is its unique retarded proper time, characterized byThus $y({\tau }_{\ast })$ is where the particle's worldline intersects the past light cone of the observation event $x$; the displayed expression is the covariant form of the Lienard-Wiechert potentials.

On the $z$-axis put $D=\sqrt{R^2+z^2}$. The retarded time is $t_{\ast }=t-D/c$. For the circular orbit, the spatial velocity at that time isBecause the displacement from the retarded source point to the observation point is orthogonal to this velocity, $|R^{\nu }{\dot{y}}_{\nu }|=\gamma cD$, while ${\dot{y}}^{\mu }=\gamma (c,\mathbf{v})$. The factors of $\gamma$ cancel, leaving