Electrodynamics : An Intensive Course

This book is devoted to the fundamentals of classical electrodynamics, one of the most beautiful and productive theories in physics. A general survey on the applicability of physical theories shows that only few theories can be compared to electrodynamics. Essentially, all electric and electronic devices used around the world are based on the theory of electromagnetism. It was Maxwell who created, for the first time, a unified description of the electric and magnetic phenomena in his electromagnetic field theory. Remarkably, Maxwell’s theory contained in itself also the relativistic invariance of the special relativity, a fact which was discovered only a few decades later. The present book is an outcome of the authors’ teaching experience over many years in different countries and for different students studying diverse fields of physics. The book is intended for students at the level of undergraduate and graduate studies in physics, astronomy, engineering, applied mathematics and for researchers working in related subjects. We hope that the reader will not only acquire knowledge, but will also grasp the beauty of theoretical physics. A set of about 130 solved and proposed problems shall help to attain this aim. Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Electrostatic Field....Pages 3-75 Fields of Stationary Currents....Pages 77-114 The Electromagnetic Field....Pages 115-168 Electromagnetic Waves....Pages 169-297 Elements of Magnetofluid Dynamics....Pages 299-332 Front Matter....Pages 333-334 Special Theory of Relativity....Pages 335-376 Minkowski Space....Pages 377-435 Relativistic Formulation of Electrodynamics in Minkowski Space....Pages 437-508 Front Matter....Pages 509-509 General Theory of Relativity....Pages 511-590 Back Matter....Pages 591-669