1.

A thin linear antenna of length 𝑑 carries a current which is sinusoidal in time with frequency
! !" ! !"
𝜔= . If current density 𝐽 = 𝑧 𝐼! 𝛿 𝑥 𝛿 𝑦 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝑒 !"# , calculate the power radiated per
! !
unit solid angle and plot it as a function of zenith angle.

2. Two small metallic balls are connected by a thin and perfectly conducting wire of length
2𝑎. Charge density 𝜌, on this system is given by
𝜌 𝑥, 𝑡 = 𝑄! 𝛿 𝑧 − 𝑎 + 𝛿 𝑧 + 𝑎 𝛿 𝑥 𝛿 𝑦 cos 𝜔𝑡. Calculate the (time-) average power
emitted per unit solid angle in the 𝜃, 𝜙 direction.

3. Consider a plane e.m. wave with vector potential 𝐴! 𝑥, 𝑡 = 𝑎! 𝑒 ! ! !!!" . Here, 𝑎! are the
components of a constant 4-vector. Vector 𝑎 can be expanded in a set of linearly independent
basis vectors 𝑒! = (1,0,0,-1) ; 𝑒! = (0,1,0,0); 𝑒! = (0,0,1,0) and 𝑒! = (1,0,0,1).
(a) Check how the Maxwell equations constraint these components.
(b) Identify the components of 𝑎 which are gauge invariant.
(c) Calculate average energy density of the e.m. field in terms of these components.

4. Discuss how electric and magnetic fields transform under C (Charge conjugation), P (Parity) and
T (Time reversal).

5. Two large parallel plates (parallel to x-axis) separated by a distance 𝑑, have uniform surface
charge density + 𝜎 and – 𝜎 respectively in the rest frame of the plates. What are the electric and
magnetic fields between the plates as seen by an observer moving at a uniform speed of 𝑣 along
the x axis w.r.t to plates? Neglect any effects due to finite size of the plates.

6. Let a particle of charge 𝑞 and rest mass 𝑚 is released with zero initial velocity in a region of
space having electric field 𝐸 in y-direction and magnetic field 𝐵 in the z-direction. What are the
conditions necessary to ensure the presence of an inertial frame in which (i) 𝐸 = 0 and (ii) 𝐵 =
0. Describe the motion of the particle in if the condition (i) is satisfied and what is the
momentum of the particle if (ii) is satisfied?

7. Consider an arbitrary plane e.m. wave propagating along x-direction in vacuum (no free charge of
current anywhere). Let, 𝐴(𝑥 − 𝑐𝑡) is the vector potential of the wave and it vanishes for large
values of 𝑥 − 𝑐𝑡. Show that x-component of 𝐴 must be vanishing. If the e.m. field strikes an
electron at rest and accelerates it to a very high velocity, calculate the particle momenta.

8. An infinitely long (perfectly) conducting wire of radius 𝑟 carries a constant current 𝑖 however
void of any static charge as seen by an observer A who is at rest w.r.t the current carrying wire.
The current is due to the uniform motion of the stream of electron moving with a speed 𝑈. A
second observer B is moving along the wire with a speed 𝑣. Calculate in the frame of B:
(a) Electric and magnetic field at a distance d from the axis of the wire.
(b) Free charge density on the wire.
(c) How does one explain a non-zero charge density in frame B?

9. An arbitrary charge distribution rotates rigidly around an axis with constant angular frequency
𝜔! . No point in the charge distribution is further than a distance 𝑑 from the axis of rotation
(𝜔! 𝑑 ≪ 𝑐). (i) What frequencies of e.m. radiation are observed at a distance 𝑟 (𝑟 ≫ 𝑑) from the
charge distribution?

10. Consider an e.m. wave with angular frequency 𝜔 propagting in a medium with free electrons
with number density 𝑛! .
(a) Neglecting any interactions among the electrons in the medium, find the induced current
density (by the electric field 𝐸 of the e.m. wave) in the medium
 (b) Using Maxwell’s equation, find a differential equation governing the spatial variation of the
wave frequency in this medium.
(c) Derive the necessary condition for the wave to propagate through the medium without
damping.

11. In a region void of charges and currents magnetic field of a propagating e.m. wave is given
by 𝐵 = 𝐵! 𝑒 !" 𝑧 sin (𝑘𝑦 − 𝜔𝑡). Calculate the electric field.

12. Radio station at Akashbani Kolkata radiates a power about 100 𝑘𝑊 at a frequency of 90 𝑀𝐻𝑧
from its antenna, which is approximately 7 𝑘𝑚 from our campus. What is the approximate
strength of the electric field of this radiation at our campus?

13. A massive atom with electric polarizability 𝛼 is subjected to an e.m. field with electric field
vector 𝐸 = 𝐸! 𝑧 𝑒 ! !"!!" . Find the approximate expressions for electric and magnetic-field
associated with the radiated e.m. field by the atom. Calculate the power radiated by the atom per
unit solid angle in the 𝜃, 𝜙 direction.

14. Protons are being circulated in the LHC’s circular tunnel with circumference of 27 𝑘𝑚. If the
protons have energy 7 𝑇𝑒𝑉, estimate the power loss (in 𝑘𝑊) due to radiation per bunch of protons
containing nearly 1000 protons. Each bunch circulate the tunnel nearly 11245 times per second.

15. Suppose the electron in a Hydrogen atom is in the first Bohr orbit at 𝑡 = 0. Assume the atom to
be classical system of charges, estimate the time required for the electron to be spiraled down to
the proton due to radiation loss.

16. A sudden burst of current 𝐼 𝑡 = 𝐼! 𝛿(𝑡) is passed through a straight thin infinite conductor (void
of any free charge) along the positive 𝑧-direction. Calculate the electric field at a distance 𝑅 from
the conductor after a finite time interval 𝑡.

17. Hydrogen gas at STP has a refractive index 1 + 1.35 × 10!! . What is the minimum kinetic
energy of an electron (rest mass 0.5 𝑀𝑒𝑉) so that it emits Cerenkov light while passing through
Hydrogen gas at STP?

18. A beam of charged particles with momentum 100 𝐺𝑒𝑉 is passed through a Cerenkov counter
filled with Hydrogen at STP. The detector can detect the angle of emission of Cerenkov light with
an accuracy of 10!! 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛. With what relative accuracy (error) the rest mass of the particles in
the beam can be measured with such a detector?

19. A charged particle is constrained to move with a uniform speed 𝑣 along x-direction (with
𝑦 = 𝑦! , 𝑧 = 0 fixed). It moves above an infinitely long perfectly conducting undulated metal
sheet, remaining very close to it. A distant observer located at 𝑧 = 0 plane detected an e.m.
radiation emitted at an angle 𝜃 with respect to the direction of the velocity of the particle.
Calculate the wavelength of the emitted radiation as detected by the observer if the ‘wavelength’
of the undulated metal sheet is 𝐿.

20. An electron moving with a uniform speed 𝑣 𝑣 ≪ 𝑐 , is stopped by an absorber such that its speed
decreases with time as 𝑣 𝑒 !!" . Calculate the frequency spectrum of the emitted radiation.

21. Four mono-chromatic coherent sources 𝐴, 𝐵, 𝐶 and 𝐷 produces plane e.m waves of wavelength 𝜆.
They are placed as shown in the figure. Two detectors are placed at points 𝑅! and 𝑅! which are at
a distance 𝑟 (𝑟 ≫ 𝜆) from the source 𝐵. (i) Which detector the picks up the greater signal? (ii)
Which detector picks up the greatest signal when the source 𝐵 is turned off? (iii) when the source
𝐷 is turned off? (iv) Which detector can tell whether the source 𝐵 or 𝐷 is turned off?