Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2023 / ib / Paper 3 / 15D / a / Solution

The magnetic field is $B=\nabla \times A$. The magnetostatic Ampère-Maxwell equation is $\nabla \times B={\mu }_{0}J$, so the curl of the curl identity givesA gauge transformation $A\mapsto A+\nabla \chi$ does not change $B$. We may therefore choose the Coulomb gauge $\nabla \cdot A=0$ by solving the Poisson equation ${\nabla }^2\chi =-\nabla \cdot A$. It follows component by component in a Cartesian coordinate system thatThe free-space Green function of the Laplacian then givesFor a localized steady current density, conservation of electric charge gives ${\nabla }^{\prime }\cdot J=0$; integration by parts confirms directly that this integral has zero divergence and hence obeys the Coulomb gauge.