Conservation Laws

Ch 8
BITS Pilani
Hyderabad Campus
Learning Objectives

 We know electric and magnetic fields have energies

associated with them. Now we look at conservation
when E & B join hands

 Poynting vector: Direction of flow of energy stored in an

EM field  indicates direction of flow of light

 Path-breaking concept of fields carrying momentum in

contrast to classical idea of only particle could carry a
momentum: Maxwell Stress Tensor

 Momentum Conservation

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Energy Terms

0 1
We   E d Wm   B d
2 2
Integration over
2 all space 20

Work necessary to assemble Work required to get

a static charge distribution current going against
against Coulomb Repulsion a back emf

Total energy stored 1  1 2

 U em     0 E 
2
B  d
in EM field 2  0 

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Energy Conservation
What is the most fundamental eq for Energy Conservation?

0 

Lets set ourselves to ask a few questions so that we reach at

some mathematical form involving  𝑑 𝑈𝑒𝑚
𝑑𝑡

Statement: We have some charge and current configuration,

which at time t, produces fields E and B. In next
instant dt, the charges move around a bit.

Question: How much work is done by the E-M forces acting

on these charges in the interval dt ?

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Answers
     
dW  F .dl  q( E  v  B).vdt  qE.v dt
 
Using : q  d & v  J

 
dW  
  E.J d
dt 

E. J is the power delivered/unit vol

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More Calculations

 
 1     E
E.J  E .   B   0 E.
0 t
     
       
1. Apply Product Rule: . E  B  B.   E  E.   B

  B
2. Evoke Faraday’s Law:   E  
t
 
 B 1  2  E 1  2
3. Use: B. 
t 2 t
 
B ; E. 
t 2 t
E  

1  1 2 1   
 

 E.J     0 E 
2
B   . E  B
2 t  0  0

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Final Eq
All put together:

 
dW d 1 1 2 1   
     0 E  B d 
2
E  B .da
dt dt  2  0  0 s

s is the surface bounding the volume 

Poynting Theorem / “Work-Energy” Theorem of Electrodynamics

“The work done on the charges by EM force is equal to the

decrease in energy stored in the field, less the energy that
flowed out through the surface”

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Poynting Vector
The energy per unit time, per unit area, transported by the
fields is called Poynting Vector:

 
 1   dW dU em  
S EB     S .da
0 dt dt s
d
 
dt 
umech d
Then,
 
d   
  umech  uem d    S .da    .S d
dt  

  
Hence,  umech  uem   .S
t
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A Quick Comparison

    
 .J  umech  uem   .S
t t

This describes the flow of energy in exactly same way

that J describes the flow of charge

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Newton’s 3rd Law

Newton’s 3rd for a set of moving charge:

Y EM force one charge feels from the

Fe other is equal but not opposite !
• +q1
Most well-understood force in nature

+q2 X
•
Fe
Z 3rd law of motion at stake!
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Way Out

One has to bring in momentum of an EM field

to save violation of Newton’s 3rd. Law of motion

Physics is essentially conservative and a law once

formulated is not given up easily. Rather definitions
are changed so that it fits into the new discoveries

……And to get into the momentum of an EM field lets

look at the total electromagnetic force on the charges

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EM Force

The EM force on charges in volume  is given by:

   
      
F   E  v  B d   E  J  B d
 

Therefore force per unit volume is given by:

   
f  E  J  B

Lets eliminate charge and current density and replace those

by fields using Maxwell’s equation so that force is expressed
in terms of fields and some constants

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Calculations

   1 E  
 
     
f  E  J  B f   0 .E E     B   0  B


 0 t 

Use two expressions:

  
    E     B  B
 

1. E  B    B   E  
   2.    E
t  t   t  t


E     
   

B  E  B  E   E
t t

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Calculation Contd.

   1 E  
 
 
f   0 .E E     B   0  B

  0 t 

      
  
 
     1  
f   0 .E E  E    E  B   B  0 EB
0 t

Important Term
Lacks little symmetry but we can bring it
in by adding a term which is essentially 0
 
 
.B B
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Calculation contd.
Apply product rule 4:

           
      1  
 E  2 E. E  2 E    E  E    E   E  E. E
2 2

2
And

     
  1  
B    B   B  B. B
2

         
     1    
 f   0 .E E  E. E  .B .B  B. B
0
1 
   0 E 
2 
2 1 2
B    0
0  t

  
EB 

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Stress Tensor
Define Maxwell Stress Tensor as: Kronecker delta

 1 2 1  1   ij  1 for i  j
Tij   0  Ei E j   ij E    Bi B j   ij B 2 
 2  0  2   0 for i  j

Txx , Txy ???

 1  1 
2  0 
1  1
 
Txx   0  E x2  E 2    Bx2  B 2    0 E x2  E y2  E z2 
2  2
1
20

Bx2  B y2  Bz2 


Txy   0  E x E y   xy E 2    Bx B y   xy B 2    0  E x E y    Bx B y 
 1  1  1  1
 2  0  2  0

=0 =0
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Tensor
Dot product between tensor and vector yield a vector:
    Lx   I xx I xy I xz   x  Lx  I xx x  I xy y  I xz z
L  I .     
 L y    I yx I yy I yz   y  Ly  I yx x  I yy y  I yz z
L  I I zy I zz   z  Lz  I zx x  I zy y  I zz z
 z   zx

 
Q. What is then, .I j ?....lets see through the y component…

Ly  I yx x  I yy y  I yz z  Ly  j  


 .I j   I i ij
i x, y, z

    T

.T j i ij  ????
i

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Calculation Contd

We know: Tij   0  Ei E j   ij E 2  
1 1  1 2
 Bi B j   ij B 
 2  0  2 

 T
i
i ij  ???

   iTij   0     i Ei  E j  Ei   i E j    ij  i E 2 
 1 
i i  2 

 0     i Bi  B j  Bi   i B j    ij  i B 2 
1  1 
i  2 
KEY: The sum is over i’s and those are to be clubbed together
 
    
 1
   iTij   0  .E E j  E. E j   j E 2 
i  2 

   
1    1 
  0  .B B j  B. B j   j B 2 
 2 
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Compact Form

         
     1    
 f   0 .E E  E. E  .B .B  B. B
0
1 
   0 E 
2 
2 1 2
0
B    0
t

  
EB 


and
 
 
  
 1
   iTij   0  .E E j  E. E j   j E 2 
 
2  1  
 
i
+ S
0
EB
   
1    1 
  0  .B B j  B. B j   j B 2 
 2 

  S
f  .T   0  0
t
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Force Expression
Force/unit vol can be written as:

  S
f  .T   0  0
t
And the total force on the charges in  is:
   d 
F   T .da   0  0  Sd
s
dt 

In static case, 2nd term drops out and the EM force on the charge
configuration can be expressed entirely in terms of Stress Tensor
at the boundary. Physically T is the force/unit area (or Stress) that
is acting on the surface.

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Stress Tensor

 Txx Txy Txz 

  
T   Tyx Tyy Tyz 
T T 
Tzz 
 zx zy

(Txx Tyy Tzz)  “Pressures”

(Txy Tyz Tzx…….)  “Shears”

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Example 8.2
Determine net force on the “northern” hemisphere of a uniformly
charged solid sphere of radius R and charge Q, using Maxwell’s
Stress Tensor

The boundary surface consists of two parts:


A hemispherical bowl da  R 2
sin ddrˆ
A circular disk at =/2

 1 Q
Also, E rˆ rˆ  sin  cos xˆ  sin  sin yˆ  cos zˆ
4 0 R 2

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Calculations Continue
 1  1  1     d  dp
Tij   0  Ei E j   ij E 2    Bi B j   ij B 2  F   T .da   0  0  Sd  mech
 2  0  2  s
dt  dt

Q. Which are the relevant elements of T?

 
 
Ans. As the force is in z-dir, only meaningful terms comes from T .da z

L y  I yx x  I yy y  I yz z   

T .dLay  j T da
z
 
.I Tj da 
zx x Tda
i I ij
zy y zz z
i x, y, z

rˆ  sin  cos xˆ  sin  sin yˆ  cos zˆ

2
 Q 
Tzx   0 E z E x   0   sin  cos  cos 
2 
 4 0 R 
2
0  Q 
2
Tzy   
2 
2  4 0 R 
 cos 2
  sin 2

 Q 
Tzy   0 E z E y   0   sin  cos  sin 
2 
 4 0 R 

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Calculations Continue
2

  0  Q 
 
T .da z  Tzx da x  Tzy da y  Tzz da z    sin  cos dd
2  4 0 R 
Hence, the force on the bowl is:

2
0  Q  2
1 Q2
Fbowl    2  sin  cosd 
2  4 0 R  0
4 0 8 R 2

The force on the disk is:

2
0  Q  R
1 Q2
Fdisk    2  r dr 
3 
3

2  4 0 R  0
4 0 16 R 2

1 3Q 2
F  Fbowl  Fdisk 
4 0 16 R 2
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Conservation of Momentum
    
d dp
F   T .da   0  0  Sd  mech
s
dt  dt

Where pmech total mech momentum of the particles in vol 

 
1    d 1 1 2 dW
Compare   E  B .da     0 E  B d 
2

0 s
dt  2  0  dt

1. If the 2nd integral represents energy stored in EM field, then

corresponding term in force eq should represent momentum
stored in EM field.

2. If 1st integral is flow of energy/unit area, the corresponding

term in force eq is momentum/unit time flowing in through
the surface
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Statement
 
dpmech   d  pem   0 0  Sd
  T .da   0 0  Sd
dt s
dt  

Conservation of momentum in Electrodynamics:

Any increase in the total momentum (mechanical +EM) is
equal to the momentum brought in by the fields. Like we
write conservation of charge and energy density, we also
put it here in terms of “density” of Mech & EM momentum

   
 mech em   .T  Momentum
t  T  Flux Density


Density of Mech momentum Density of EM momentum =  0 0 S
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Quick Comparison

 
 .J Conservation of Charge
t
 
 umech  uem   .S Conservation of Energy
t
   
mech em   .T Conservation of Momentum
t of a field

Q. Does EM field carry an angular momentum too?

Home work: Ref 8.2.4

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Example 8.3
A long coaxial cable of length l consists of an inner conductor
(radius a) and an outer conductor (radius b). It is connected to
a battery at one end and a resistor at the other. The inner one
carries a uniform charge per unit length  and a steady current
I to the right; the outer conductor has the opposite charge and
current. What is EM momentum stored in the fields?

 1   0 I
E sˆ B ˆ
2 0 s 2 s
 I
S   sˆ  ˆ 
4  0 s
2 2

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Calculations

  0 I b 1 0 Il  b 
pem  0 0  Sd  z  2  l 2sds  
ˆ ln  zˆ

4 2
a
s 2 a

Isn’t it surprising that we have non-zero momentum in the system,

even when cable is not moving and the fields are static. If the CM
of a localized system is at rest, the total momentum must be zero.
Here it turns out that there is a “hidden” mechanical momentum,
which is associated with the flow of current & that exactly cancels
the momentum in the field. This hidden momentum arises from a
relativistic effect beyond the current scope of understanding.

Q. How the situation is changed if we turn up the resistance so that

the current decreases?
Home Work !!!

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S for a Capacitor Charging
We look at the energy flow in a capacitor which is charging slowly
Q. What is the total electrostatic energy between
the plates?
 0 2  2
 
U e   E  a h  U e   0a 2 hEE
a 2 
h
This is the rate at which the vol between
the plates receiving energy. There must
be a flow of energy into that volume from
somewhere !!

Is it coming in on the charging wires?

Does it satisfy direction of the Energy
Flow?
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Look at B
There is magnetic field that circles around axis when the capacitor
is charging and applying last Maxwell’s eq we find B at the edge of
of the capacitor is:

 2a  B  0 0 E a 2   B   0 0 E B-dir??

2
 1   1  0 0
S  EB  E E   0 EE
0 0 2

Hence, total flux of energy:  0a hEE  U

2

It tells us a peculiar thing: that when we are charging a capacitor, the

energy is not coming down the wire, it is coming in through the edges
of the gap……………how to assimilate this idea ???

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Feynman’s Reason

“Suppose, we have some charges above

and below the capacitor and far away. As
the charges are far away, there is a weak
but enormously spread out field that is
surrounding the capacitor. Then as the
charges come together, the field will get
stronger nearer to the capacitor. So the
field energy which is way out moves
towards the capacitor and eventually ends
up between the plates”

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus