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Full-Text Articles in Physics

Spacetime Algebra As A Powerful Tool For Electromagnetism, Justin Dressel, Konstantin Y. Bliokh, Franco Nori Jun 2015

Spacetime Algebra As A Powerful Tool For Electromagnetism, Justin Dressel, Konstantin Y. Bliokh, Franco Nori

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

We present a comprehensive introduction to spacetime algebra that emphasizes its practicality and power as a tool for the study of electromagnetism. We carefully develop this natural (Clifford) algebra of the Minkowski spacetime geometry, with a particular focus on its intrinsic (and often overlooked) complex structure. Notably, the scalar imaginary that appears throughout the electromagnetic theory properly corresponds to the unit 4-volume of spacetime itself, and thus has physical meaning. The electric and magnetic fields are combined into a single complex and frame-independent bivector field, which generalizes the Riemann-Silberstein complex vector that has recently resurfaced in studies of the single …


The History Of Maxwell's Equations, Lindsay Guilmette (Class Of 2012) Jan 2012

The History Of Maxwell's Equations, Lindsay Guilmette (Class Of 2012)

Writing Across the Curriculum

An enormous amount of technology is owed to Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism and his perseverance through cultural obstacles to advocate his talent of mathematical interpretation.


Gravity And Electromagnetism In Noncommutative Geometry, Giovanni Landi, Nguyen Ai Viet, Kameshwar C. Wali Jan 1994

Gravity And Electromagnetism In Noncommutative Geometry, Giovanni Landi, Nguyen Ai Viet, Kameshwar C. Wali

Physics - All Scholarship

We present a unified description of gravity and electromagnetism in the framework of a Z 2 non-commutative differential calculus. It can be considered as a “discrete version” of Kaluza-Klein theory, where the fifth continuous dimension is replaced by two discrete points. We derive an action which coincides with the dimensionally reduced one of the ordinary Kaluza-Klein theory.