All books

Professional

Apps About Coach Log in Start reading

Physics · Glossary

What is Four-potential and field tensor?

Definition 6.3 University Physics — Year 3 · Chapter 6 — Covariant Electromagnetism

The potentials of the Year 2 volume assemble into the four-potential

Aμ=(Vc, A→),A^\mu = \Big(\frac{V}{c},\ \vect A\Big) ,

and the measurable fields E→=−∇→V−∂tA→\vect E = -\vect\nabla V - \partial_t\vect A, B→=curl→⁡A→\vect B = \operatorname{\vect{curl}}\vect A are the six independent components of one antisymmetric array, the electromagnetic field tensor

Fμν=(0−Ex/c−Ey/c−Ez/cEx/c0−BzByEy/cBz0−BxEz/c−ByBx0).F^{\mu\nu} = \begin{pmatrix} 0 & -E_x/c & -E_y/c & -E_z/c\\ E_x/c & 0 & -B_z & B_y\\ E_y/c & B_z & 0 & -B_x\\ E_z/c & -B_y & B_x & 0 \end{pmatrix} .

E→\vect E and B→\vect B are not two fields but six faces of one object; which face an observer calls “electric” depends on the observer’s motion.

Read in context →