The correct and unusual coordinate transformation rules for electromagnetic quadrupoles

DOI10.1098/RSPA.2017.0652zbMATH Open1402.78007arXiv1804.05048OpenAlexW3101811102WikidataQ55279323 ScholiaQ55279323MaRDI QIDQ4557692FDOQ4557692

Authors: Jonathan Gratus, T. Banaszek 

Publication date: 26 November 2018

Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Despite being studied for over a century, the use of quadrupoles have been limited to Cartesian coordinates in flat spacetime due to the incorrect transformation rules used to define them. Here the correct transformation rules are derived, which are particularly unusual as they involve second derivatives of the coordinate transformation and an integral. Transformations involving integrals have not been seen before. This is significantly different from the familiar transformation rules for a dipole, where the components transform as tensors. It enables quadrupoles to be correctly defined in general relativity and to prescribe the equations of motion for a quadrupole in a coordinate system adapted to its motion and then transform them to the laboratory coordinates. An example is given of another unusual feature: a quadrupole which is free of dipole terms in polar coordinates has dipole terms in Cartesian coordinates. It is shown that dipoles, electric dipoles, quadrupoles and electric quadrupoles can be defined without reference to a metric and in a coordinates free manner. This is particularly useful given their complicated coordinate transformation.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.05048

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zbMATH Keywords

tensor distributionsde Rham currentscoordinate free approachpre-metric electromagnetismmultiple expansionselectric quadrupoles

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Electromagnetic theory (general) (78A25)

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Cited In (4)

• Maxwell-Lorentz without self-interactions: conservation of energy and momentum
• The tensorial representation of the distributional stress–energy quadrupole and its dynamics
• The distributional stress–energy quadrupole
• Direct methods: the identification of conditions which simplify the generation of inconsistent quadrupoles

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