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LaTeX transcription (2025) of a 1989 honours thesis (University of Adelaide) on point charges in classical electrodynamics and the Lorentz-Dirac radiation-reaction equation. The thesis reviews the retarded field of an arbitrarily moving…
We argue that the classical theory of electromagnetism is based on Maxwell's macroscopic equations, an energy postulate, a momentum postulate, and a generalized form of the Lorentz law of force. These seven postulates constitute the…
We show that the locally constant force necessary to get a stable hyperbolic motion regime for classical charged particles, actually, is a subtle combination of an applied external force and the radiation reaction force. It suggests, as the…
A fully relativistically covariant formulation of the classical Maxwell electrodynamics of an arbitrarily-moving point charge is presented, purely in terms of gauge invariant potentials without entailing any gauge fixing. A new,…
We analyze the equations of quantum electrodynamics and establish that the electron must be described by two bispinors that satisfy two mutually connected Dirac equations. The equations of the electronic and electromagnetic fields are…
Using physical arguments, I derive the physically correct equations of motion for a classical charged particle from the Lorentz-Abraham-Dirac equations (LAD) which are well known to be physically incorrect. Since a charged particle can…
An exact solution is given to the classical electromagnetic (EM) radiation-reaction (RR) problem, originally posed by Lorentz. This refers to the dynamics of classical non-rotating and quasi-rigid finite size particles subject to an…
In the present work foundations of the law of the energy conservation and the introduction of particles in the classical electrodynamics are discussed. We pay attention to a logic error which takes place at an interpretation of the…
By describing the dynamical evolution of a test charged particle in the presence of an electromagnetic field as a succession of infinitesimal Lorentz boosts and rotations it is possible to obtain the Lorentz Force of Electrodynamics. A…
We will display the fundamental structure of classical electrodynamics. Starting from the axioms of (1) electric charge conservation, (2) the existence of a Lorentz force density, and (3) magnetic flux conservation, we will derive Maxwell's…
Experts in quantum field theory (QFT) generally answer the question of the ``size of an electron'' with ``point-like''. On the other hand, QFT recognizes quantum effects, shielding by virtual particles, the so-called polarization cloud,…
The problem of self forces and radiation reaction is solved by conservation of energy methods. The longstanding problem of constant acceleration is solved, and it is shown that the self force does indeed affect the particle's motion, as…
The motion of a system of particles under electromagnetic interaction is considered. Under the assumption that the force acting on an electric charge is given by the sum of the electromagnetic fields produced by any other charged particles…
We show that a charged sphere moving at a constant velocity $v$ exhibits a mass due to electromagnetic radiation, expressed as $4/(3+(v/c)^2) (E/c^2)$, where $E$ is the electromagnetic energy and $c$ the speed of light in vacuum. Our…
It is argued that the nonintegrably singular energy density of the electron's electromagnetic field (in both the classical point-charge model and quantum electrodynamics) must entail very strong self-gravitational effects, which, via black…
We derive the classical dynamics of massless charged particles in a rigorous way from first principles. Since due to ultraviolet divergences this dynamics does not follow from an action principle, we rely on a) Maxwell's equations, b)…
We demonstrate that full description of both electromagnetic and gravitational radiation from massless particles lies outside the scope of classical theory. Synchrotron radiation from the hypothetical massless charge in quantum…
It is well known that the Classical theory of the electron reached the limits of its description at time intervals of the order of $10^{-23} secs$, that is the Compton time. It is widely believed that below these time intervals Classical…
A systematic formalism for quantum electrodynamics in a classical uniform magnetic field is discussed. The first order radiative correction to the ground state energy of an electron is calculated. This then leads to the anomalous magnetic…
After more than a century of history, the radiation-reaction problem in classical electrodynamics still surprises and puzzles new generations of researchers. Here we revise and explain some of the paradoxical issues that one faces when…