Evolution of current density and EM field
Related evolution of a matter density under Newtonian gravity.
Given a Lorentzian manifold representing spacetime, an electromagnetic field is a 2-form
where
How do we calculate the evolution of
- Solve Maxwell's equations to determine the initial
, given the initial and any boundary conditions. We are assuming is constant, with value , for a small time interval. - Solve the Lorentz force law or the Vlasov equation to update the motion of the charged particles (and hence
). - If modeling discrete particles, use the Lorentz force law to evolve the 4-velocity
of each particle - If modeling a charged fluid, solve the fluid equations coupled with the Lorentz force:
where is the energy-momentum tensor of the fluid (is this Vlasov equation?). - If modeling discrete particles, use the Lorentz force law to evolve the 4-velocity
- Use the updated
to recalculate from Maxwell's equations. - Iterate this process, ensuring that the continuity equation is always satisfied.