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How to move an electromagnetic field?

Gomori, Marton and Szabo, Laszlo E. (2011) How to move an electromagnetic field? [Preprint]

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    Abstract

    As a first principle, it is the basic assumption of the standard relativistic formulation of classical electrodynamics (ED) that the physical laws describing the electromagnetic phenomena satisfy the relativity principle (RP). According to the standard view, this assumption is absolutely unproblematic, and its correctness is well confirmed, at least in a hypothetico-deductive sense, by means of the empirical confirmation of the consequences derived from it. In this paper, we will challenge this customary view as being somewhat simplistic. The RP is actually used in exceptional cases satisfying some special conditions. As we will see, however, it is quite problematic how the RP must be understood in the general case of a coupled particles + electromagnetic field system.

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    Item Type: Preprint
    Keywords: relativity principle covariance Maxwell--Lorentz motion Humean supervenience classical electrodynamics
    Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Classical Physics
    Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles
    General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism
    Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory
    Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
    Depositing User: Laszlo E. Szabo
    Date Deposited: 12 Sep 2011 07:49
    Last Modified: 12 Sep 2011 07:49
    Item ID: 8784
    URI: http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/8784

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