Lecture Notes on

ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS AND WAVES

(227-0052-10L)

Prof. Dr. Lukas Novotny

ETH Zürich, Photonics Laboratory

July 30, 2014

Introduction

The properties of electromagnetic fields and waves are most commonly discussed
in terms of the electric field E(r, t) and the magnetic induction field B(r, t). The
vector r denotes the location in space where the fields are evaluated. Similarly, t
is the time at which the fields are evaluated. Note that the choice of E and B is ar-
bitrary and that one could also proceed with combinations of the two, for example,
with the vector and scalar potentials A and φ, respectively.

The fields E and B have been originally introduced to escape the dilemma of
“action-at-distance’, that is, the question of how forces are transferred between
two separate locations in space. To illustrate this, consider the situation depicted
in Figure 1. If we shake a charge at r1 then a charge at location r2 will respond.
But how did this action travel from r1 to r2 ? Various explanations were developed
over the years, for example, by postulating an aether that fills all space and that
acts as a transport medium, similar to water waves. The fields E and B are pure
constructs to deal with the “action-at-distance’ problem. Thus, forces generated by

?
q1 q2

r1 r2

Figure 1: Illustration of “action-at-distance”. Shaking a charge at r1 makes a sec-

ond charge at r2 respond.

1
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electrical charges and currents are explained in terms of E and B, quantities that
we cannot measure directly.

Basic Properties

As mentioned above, E and B have been introduced to explain forces acting on

charges and currents. The Coulomb force (electric force) is mediated by the elec-
tric field and acts on the charge q, that is, Fe = qE. It accounts for the attraction or
repulsion between static charges. The interaction of static charges is referred to
as electrostatics. On the other hand, the Lorentz force (magnetic force) accounts
for the interaction between static currents (charges traveling at constant velocities
v = ṙ) according to Fm = qv × B. The interaction of static currents is referred to
as magnetostatics. Taken the electric and magnetic forces together we arrive at

F(r, t) = q [E(r, t) + v(r, t) × B(r, t)] (1)

In the SI unit system, force is measured in Newtons (N = J / m = A V s / m)

and charge in terms of Coulomb (C = A s). Equation (1) therefore imposes the
following units on the fields: [E] = V/m and [B] = V s / m2 . The latter is also referred
to as Tesla (T).

Interestingly, the fields E and B depend on the observer’s reference frame. In

fact, the field E in one inertial frame can be equal to the field B in another inertial

q v q v

v
Figure 2: The fields E and B depend on the inertial frame. An observer at rest
sees a B field when a charge at velocity v moves by (left). However, an observer
moving at the same speed will experience only an E field.
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frame. To illustrate this consider the two situations shown in Figure 2 where an
observer is measuring the fields of a charge moving at velocity v. An observer at
rest will measure a B field whereas an observer moving at the same speed as the
charge will only experience an E field. Why? Because the charge appears to be
at rest from the observer’s point of view.

In general, the electric field measured by an observer at ro and at time t can be

expressed as (see R. Feynman ‘Lectures on Physics’, Vol. II, p 21-1)
r′ d  nr′  1 d2
 
q nr′
E(ro , t) = + + 2 2 nr′ , (2)
4πε0 r′2 c dt r′2 c dt

where c = 2.99792456 .. 108 m/s is the speed of light. As shown in Figure 3, r′ is

the distance between the charge and the observer at the earlier time (t − r′ /c).
Similarly, nr′ is the unit vector pointing from the charge towards the observer at
the earlier time (t − r′ /c). Thus, the field at the observation point ro at the time t
depends on the motion of the charge at the earlier time (t − r′ /c)! The reason is
that it takes a time ∆t = r′ /c for the field to travel the distance r′ to the observer.

Let us discuss the different terms in Eq. (2). The first term is proportional to the
position of the charge and describes a retarded Coulomb field. The second term is
proportional to the velocity of the charge. Together with the first term it describes
the instantaneous Coulomb field. The third term is proportional to the acceleration
of the charge and is associated with electromagnetic radiation.

E(ro, t)

r’
nr’ r
q
position at t
position at t- r’/c q

Figure 3: The field at the observation point ro at the time t depends on the motion
of the charge at the earlier time (t − r′ /c).
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The objective of this course is to establish the theoretical foundations that lead
to Eq. (2) and to develop an understanding for the generation and propagation of
electromagnetic fields.

Microscopic and Macroscopic Electromagnetism

In microscopic electromagnetism one deals with discrete point charges qn located

at rn (see Figure 4). The charge density ρ and the current density j are then
expressed as sums over Dirac delta functions
X
ρ(r) = qn δ[r − rn ] , (3)
n
X
j(r) = qn ṙn δ[r − rn ] , (4)
n

where rn denotes the position vector of the nth charge and ṙn = vn its velocity. The
total charge and current of the particle are obtained by a volume integration over ρ
and j. In terms of ρ and j, the force law in Eq.(1) can be written as

Z
F(r, t) = [ρ(r, t)E(r, t) + j(r, t) × B(r, t)] dV (5)
V

where V is the volume that contains all the charges qn .

qn

rn
r

Figure 4: In the microscopic picture, optical radiation interacts with the discrete
charges qn of matter.
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In macroscopic electromagnetism, ρ and j are viewed as continuous functions

of position. Thus, the microscopic structure of matter is not considered and the
fields become local spatial averages over microscopic fields. This is similar to the
flow of water, for which the atomic scale is irrelevant.

In this course we will predominantly consider macroscopic fields for which ρ

and j are smooth functions in space. However, the discrete nature can always be
recovered by substituting Eqs. (3) and (4).

Pre-Maxwellian Electrodynamics

Let us review and summarize the laws of Ampère (Oersted), Faraday and Gauss,
as introduced in the courses Netzwerke und Schaltungen I & II.

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Z Z
E(r, t) · n da = ρ(r, t) dV Gauss′ law (Cavendish 1772)
∂V ε0 V

∂
Z Z
E(r, t) · ds = − B(r, t) · n da Faraday′ s law (Faraday 1825)
∂A ∂t A
Z Z
B(r, t) · ds = µ0 j(r, t) · n da Ampere′ s law (Oersted 1819)
∂A A
Z
B(r, t) · n da = 0 No magnetic monopoles (6)
∂V

In our notation, V is a volume composed of infinitesimal volume elements dV , A is

a surface composed of infinitesimal surface elements da, and ds is an infinitesimal
line element. ∂V denotes the closed surface of the volume V . Similarly, ∂A is
the circumference of the area A. n is a unit vector normal to the surface ∂V or
circumference ∂A. The constants appearing in Eq. (6) are defined as follows
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Vs Vs
µ0 = 4π 10−7 = 1.2566370 10−6 (magnetic permeability)
Am Am
1 As
ε0 = 2
= 8.8541878 10−12 (electric permittivity)
µ0 c Vm

where c = 2.99792458 108 m/s is the vacuum speed of light. Figure 5 illustrates
the meaning of the four equations (6). The first equation, Gauss’ law, states that
the flux of electric field through a closed surface ∂V is equal to the total charge
q inside ∂V . The second equation, Faraday’s law, predicts that the electric field
integrated along a loop ∂A corresponds to the time rate of change of the magnetic
flux through the loop. Similarly, Ampère’s law, states that the magnetic field inte-
grated along a loop ∂A is equal to the current flowing through the loop. Finally, the
fourth equation states that the flux of magnetic field through a closed surface is al-
ways zero which, in an analogy to Gauss’ law, indicates that there are no magnetic
charges.

a E b

q1 ∂
q3 A B
q2 ∂t

V E ds

c j d
B
A V
B ds

Figure 5: Illustration of (a) Gauss’ law, (b) Faraday’s law, (c) Ampere’s law, and (d)
the non-existence of magnetic charges.
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Figure 6: Ampère’s law applied to a cube. Opposite faces cancel the magnetic
R
circulation ∂A B(r, t) · ds, predicting that the flux of current through any closed
surface is zero.

Let us consider Ampère’s law for the different end faces of a small cube (c.f.
Fig. 6). 1 It turns out that the magnetic field integrated along the circumference
R
of one end face ( ∂A B(r, t) · ds) is just the negative of the magnetic field inte-
grated along the circumference of the opposite end face. Thus, the combined flux
(seen from the outside) is zero. The same is true for the other pairs of end faces.
Therefore, for any closed surface Ampère’s law reduces to
Z
j(r, t) · n da = 0 Kirchhoff I . (7)
∂V

In other words, the flux of current through any closed surface is zero: What flows
in has to flow out.

Eq. (7) defines the familiar current law of Kirchhoff (Knotenregel). On the other
hand, Kirchhoff’s voltage law (Maschenregel) follows from Faraday’s law if no time-
varying magnetic fields are present. In this case,
Z
E(r, t) · ds = 0 Kirchhoff II . (8)
∂A

The two Kirchhoff laws form the basis for circuit theory and electronic design.

1
An arbitrary volume can be viewed as a sum over infinitesimal cubes.
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