Radiation of plasma waves by a conducting body moving through a magnetized plasma

A theory is presented describing energy loss due to radiation of plasma waves by a conducting body moving through a magnetized plasma, which makes it possible to estimate the total power radiated at all frequencies. Using energy conservation and a source current deduced by physical reasoning, numerical predictions were made for the power radiated. It was found that radiation is produced at all frequencies for which one of the plasma modes has zero phase velocity in some direction

The Creation and Propagation of Radiation: Fields Inside and Outside of Sources

We present a new algorithm for computing the electromagnetic fields of currents inside and outside of finite current sources, for arbitrary time variations in the currents. Unexpectedly, we find that our solutions for these fields are free of the concepts of differential calculus, in that our solutions only involve the currents and their time integrals, and do not involve the time derivatives of the currents. As examples, we give the solutions for two configurations of current: a planar solenoid and a rotating spherical shell carrying a uniform charge density. For slow time variations in the currents, we show that our general solutions reduce to the standard expressions for the fields in classic magnetic dipole radiation. In the limit of extremely fast turn-on of the currents, we show that for our general solutions the amount of energy radiated is exactly equal to the magnetic energy stored in the static fields a long time after current creation. We give three associated problem statements which can be used in courses at the undergraduate level, and one problem statement suitable for courses at the graduate level. These problems are of physical interest because: (1) they show that current systems of finite extent can radiate even during time intervals when the currents are constant; (2) they explicitly display transit time delays across a source associated with its finite dimensions; and (3) they allow students to see directly the origin of the reaction forces for time-varying systemsComment: 25 pages, 5 figure

The creation and propagation of radiation: Fields inside and outside of sources

We present an algorithm for computing the electromagnetic fields due to currents inside and outside of finite sources with a high degree of spatial symmetry for arbitrary time-dependent currents. The solutions for these fields do not involve the time derivatives of the currents but involve only the currents and their time integrals. We give solutions for moving planar sheets of charge, and a rotating spherical shell carrying a uniform charge density. We show that the general solutions reduce to the standard expressions for magnetic dipole radiation for slow time variations of the currents. If the currents are turned on very quickly, the general solutions show that the amount of energy radiated equals the magnetic energy stored in the static fields a long time after current creation. We give three problems which can be used in undergraduate courses and one problem suitable for graduate courses. These problems illustrate that because the generation of radiation depends on what has happened in the past, a system of currents can radiate even during time intervals when the currents are constant due to radiation associated with earlier acceleration

Cylindrical Magnets and Ideal Solenoids

Both wire-wound solenoids and cylindrical magnets can be approximately modeled as ideal, azimuthally symmetric solenoids. We present here an exact solution for the magnetic field of an ideal solenoid in an especially easy to use form. The field is expressed in terms of a single function that can be rapidly computed by means of a compact, highly efficient algorithm, which can be coded as an add-in function to a spreadsheet, making field calculations accessible even to introductory students. In computational work these expressions are not only accurate but also just as fast as most approximate expressions. We demonstrate their utility by numerically simulating the experiment of dropping a cylindrical magnet through a nonmagnetic conducting tube and then comparing the calculation with data obtained from experiments suitable for an undergraduate laboratory.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, revTe