CLASSICAL ELECTRODYNAMICS (H/C)

CLASSICAL ELECTRODYNAMICS CAPTURES SCHWINGERS INIMITABLE LECTURING STYLE, IN WHICH EVERYTHING FLOWS INEXORABLY FROM WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE. NOVEL ELEMENTS OF THE APPROACH INCLUDE THE IMMEDIATE INFERENCE OF MAXWELLS EQUATIONS FROM COULOMBS LAW AND (GALILEAN) RELATIVITY, THE USE OF ACTION AND STATIONARY PRINCIPLES, THE CENTRAL ROLE OF GREENS FUNCTIONS BOTH IN STATICS AND DYNAMICS, AND, THROUGHOUT, THE INTEGRATION OF MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS. THUS, PHYSICAL PROBLEMS IN ELECTROSTATICS ARE USED TO DEVELOP THE PROPERTIES OF BESSEL FUNCTIONS AND SPHERICAL HARMONICS. THE LATTER PORTION OF THE BOOK IS DEVOTED TO RADIATION, WITH RATHER COMPLETE TREATMENTS OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION AND DIFFRACTION, AND THE FORMULATION OF THE MODE DECOMPOSITION FOR WAVEGUIDES AND SCATTERING. CONSEQUENTLY, THE BOOK PROVIDES THE STUDENT WITH A THOROUGH GROUNDING IN ELECTRODYNAMICS IN PARTICULAR, AND IN CLASSICAL FIELD THEORY IN GENERAL, SUBJECTS WITH ENORMOUS PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS, AND WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL PREREQUIS