Electromagnetic Radiation Emitted By An Accelerating Charge

In summary, a slowly oscillating point charge will emit a low frequency electromagnetic wave, but its energy may be too low to be detected. The field from an arbitrarily moving point charge can be described by the Lienard Wiechert potentials, with a near field that falls off faster than ##r^{-1}## and a far field that falls off as ##r^{-1}##. The significance of the near and far field terms is still a matter of debate.
  • #1
TheWiseFool
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Suppose a point charge is slowly oscillating simple harmonically. Does it emit an electromagnet wave and if not why not ? How does its field change with time. Does anyone know of a good animation ?

Thanks.
 
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  • #2
Hi and welcome to PF.
However "s..l..o..w..l..y" the charge oscillates, it will radiate a very low frequency wave.
There is a practical limit to what can actually be measured, however. The Energy of the oscillation gets lower as the frequency is reduced so, in the end, you just can't detect it; it will be below the noise level in any experiment.
 
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Likes Dale
  • #3
TheWiseFool said:
How does its field change with time.
The field from an arbitrarily moving point charge is given by the Lienard Wiechert potentials.
 
  • #4
Thank you both. My intuition was confirmed.
So, this has nothing to do with 'near' and 'far' fields. I have not yet seen a clear, explanation of these terms and their significance. Would anyone like to try? Responses much appreciated.
 
  • #5
TheWiseFool said:
I have not yet seen a clear, explanation of these terms and their significance. Would anyone like to try
If you look at the Lienard Wiechert formulas (the fields, not the potentials) you will see that there are a couple of terms one term is proportional to ##r^{-1}## and one proportional to ##r^{-2}##. The former is the far field and the latter is the near field. More generally, any field term that falls off faster than ##r^{-1}## is considered part of the near field.
 

What is electromagnetic radiation emitted by an accelerating charge?

Electromagnetic radiation emitted by an accelerating charge is a form of energy that is produced when an electrically charged particle, such as an electron, is accelerated. This acceleration creates a fluctuation in the electric and magnetic fields, resulting in the emission of electromagnetic waves.

How is electromagnetic radiation emitted by an accelerating charge different from other types of radiation?

Unlike other types of radiation, such as thermal radiation or nuclear radiation, electromagnetic radiation emitted by an accelerating charge does not require a medium to travel through. It can travel through a vacuum and does not require particles to carry the energy.

What are the properties of electromagnetic radiation emitted by an accelerating charge?

Electromagnetic radiation emitted by an accelerating charge has several properties, including wavelength, frequency, and energy. These properties are related and determine the type of radiation emitted, such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays.

How is electromagnetic radiation emitted by an accelerating charge used in everyday life?

Electromagnetic radiation emitted by an accelerating charge has many practical applications in everyday life. For example, radio waves are used for communication, microwaves are used for cooking, infrared is used for thermal imaging, visible light is used for vision, and X-rays are used for medical imaging.

What are the potential dangers of exposure to electromagnetic radiation emitted by an accelerating charge?

Exposure to high levels of electromagnetic radiation emitted by an accelerating charge can be harmful to living organisms. This is why safety measures, such as shielding and distance, are important in certain situations. However, the levels of radiation emitted by most everyday devices, such as cell phones or Wi-Fi routers, are not considered harmful to humans.

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