Electrodynamics A
PHY 5346, Fall 2006
Prof. Alexander Volya
phone:644-1804, e-mail volya@phy.fsu.edu
Lectures: Tuesday and Thursday 9:30-10:45 am at UPL 109
Midterm Exams October 26
Final Exam: Monday: December
13, 2006, 7:30 – 9:30 a.m.
Office hours: Tuesday 3:00-4:00 and Thursday 2:00 - 3:00 pm at 208 Keen, or by
appointment.
Textbook: L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshits, The Classical
Theory of
Fields (Course of Theoretical Physics, vol. 2, 4th edition),
chapters I - IX.
Recommended Textbook: J.D. Jackson, Classical Electrodynamics.
Grading:
40% Homework (assigned weekly on Tuesday and due the following week Tuesday)
20% Midterm
10% Class participation and quizzes
30% Final
Homeworks
The homeworks, solutions and other class material are distributed using FSU blackboard system at http://campus.fsu.edu. The blackboard system is also used to report grades. The homeworks are issued on Tuesdays according to the schedule, and are due a week later, on the following Tuesday at our regular class time. The typical grading time is one week. You are welcome and encouraged do discuss grades if you feel that you deserve more but coming to my office be prepared to show your understanding of the subject.
Quizzes
Short 15 minute quizzes will be given at random during the semester. The purpose of quizzes is to check your understanding of subjects discussed on lectures.
Program of the course
Relativity. Minkowski world. Lorentz transformations and Lorentz
covariance. Relativistic kinematics. Energy and momentum. Decays and collisions
of particles. Ch. 1-7, 9, 11, 13, 14; Jackson Ch. 11.
Electromagnetic field. Charges and currents, continuity equation. The
least action principle. Derivation of Maxwell equations. Charge motion in static
fields. Gauge invariance. Electromagnetic field tensor, field transformations
and invariants. Energy and momentum of the field. Ch. 15-31.
Electrostatics. Coulomb field. Electrostatic potential. Laplace and
Poisson equations. Multipole expansion. Electrostatic energy. Ch. 36, 37,
40-42; Jackson Ch 1-4
Magnetostatics. Magnetic field of a current. Magnetic multipoles. Atom in
a magnetic field, Larmor theorem, Zeeman effect. Ch. 43-45, Jackson Ch 5.
Electromagnetic waves. Wave equation. Plane, cylindrical and spherical
waves. Polarization. Spectral decomposition. Ch 46-52.
Radiation of electromagnetic waves. Retarded potentials. Radiation
field, angular and spectral distribution. Multipole radiation. Radiation in
collisions and synchrotron radiation.
Ch. 38, 62-64, 66-69, 71-75.
Wave propagation. Geometrical and wave optics, uncertainty relation.
Coherence and interference. Diffraction phenomena. Scattering of waves. Ch.
53-56, 58-61, 78-80.
Students with disabilities needing academic accommodations should register with, and provide documentation to, the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) and bring a letter from SDRC to the instructor indicating your needed academic accommodations. Please do this during the first week of class.
Students are expected to uphold the Academic Honor Code published in the Florida State University Bulletin and the Student Handbook.