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On the Existence of Dynamics of Wheeler-Feynman Electromagnetism

Mathematical Physics 2011-08-10 v2 High Energy Physics - Theory Analysis of PDEs Dynamical Systems math.MP

Abstract

We study the equations of Wheeler-Feynman electrodynamics which is an action-at-a-distance theory about world-lines of charges that interact through their corresponding advanced and retarded Li\'enard-Wiechert field terms. The equations are non-linear, neutral, and involve time-like advanced as well as retarded arguments of unbounded delay. Using a reformulation in terms of Maxwell-Lorentz electrodynamics without self-interaction, which we have introduced in a preceding work, we are able to establish the existence of conditional solutions. These are solutions that solve the Wheeler-Feynman equations on any finite time interval with prescribed continuations outside of this interval. As a byproduct we also prove existence and uniqueness of solutions to the Synge equations on the time half-line for a given history of charge trajectories.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1009.3103,
  title  = {On the Existence of Dynamics of Wheeler-Feynman Electromagnetism},
  author = {G. Bauer and D. -A. Deckert and D. Dürr},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1009.3103},
  year   = {2011}
}

Comments

45 pages, introduction revised, typos corrected, explanations added