Dimitri Terryn said:The relation between fluxes of fields and the currents/charges that give rise to them are basic mathematical/physical notions. If are not familiar with them, I do not think you will be able to handle String Theory.
Gokul43201 said:Dimitri is right, and he's a grad student in theoretical (high energy ?) physics. Furthermore, you do not explain fluxes and currents using string theory. That's like asking someone to calculate 2+3 using partial differential equations.
Fluxes and currents are representations. Any quantity that can be written as the surface intergral of a vector field is called the flux of that field through that surface. So, for instance, the electric current I, is the flux of the current density vector J.
Now a current is anything that can be written as a rate of flow of some quantity (eg : mass, charge, spin, probability). In the context of the above example, the electric current is also the rate of flow of charge.
So, in this example, we see that the same quantity represents a flux as well as a current. The reason for this is the continuity equation (a relation that says that a box will contain what it had at some time +/- what you put in/took out).
Take a look at the Aharonov-Bohm effect- As I understand it, seems to describe flux as a vector quantity, ie. "voltage".EroticNirvana said:...It's the connection to string theory that I'm inquireing about...
EroticNirvana said:Ok. But I'm studying string theory and I'm interersted in the connection between string theory and these concepts.
pervect said:I think you need to provide more detail of exactly what it is you are interested in.
I think of a generalized current as the rate of flow of a generalized charge. A conserved charge must obey a conservation law when associated with its conserved current, the rate of flow of charge.
(see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conserved_current)
Conservation of generalized charge is a consequence of symmetries (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noether's_theorem )
Electric current is one example of a specific sort of current that arises in E&M that results from the conservation laws associated with charge, which arise from gauge invariance symmetry in E&M.
Flux is associated with a vector field. Gauss's law for the electric field (a vector field) shows that certain closed flux intergals are also associated with conserved charges.
Flux and current are two different physical quantities that are often confused with each other. Flux refers to the flow of a physical quantity, such as electric charge, through a surface. Current, on the other hand, is the rate of flow of electric charge through a conductor. In simpler terms, flux is the amount of a physical quantity passing through a surface, while current is the rate at which this quantity is flowing.
Flux and current are related through the concept of electric fields. An electric field is the force that acts on a charged particle. When there is a difference in electric potential between two points, an electric field is created, and this causes electric charge to flow, resulting in a current. The amount of current that flows is directly proportional to the electric field and the surface area through which the flux passes.
No, flux and current are interconnected and cannot exist without each other. Flux is the cause of current, and current is the effect of flux. In other words, without flux, there would be no current, and without current, there would be no flux. They are two fundamental concepts that are essential for understanding electricity and electromagnetism.
The unit of measurement for flux is the weber (Wb), while the unit of measurement for current is the ampere (A). Flux is measured using a device called a fluxmeter, which uses a coil and a magnet to measure the amount of magnetic flux passing through the coil. Current, on the other hand, can be measured using an ammeter, which is a device that measures the flow of electric charge through a conductor.
Flux and current have many practical applications in our daily lives. For example, electric power generation and distribution rely on the flow of electric current through conductors. In electronics, current is used to power devices, while flux is used in devices such as transformers and electric motors. In physics, flux and current are used to study the behavior of electric and magnetic fields, and they are essential in many scientific experiments and research.