Why Does an Accelerated Charge Emit Photons and Lose Energy?

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In summary, the conversation is about a high school student asking for an explanation on why an accelerated charge emits photons and loses energy. The person providing the explanation mentions the Larmor formula in classical electrodynamics and provides links and references for further understanding. The student thanks them for the information and asks if a moving charge will be influenced by the field it creates.
  • #1
deep838
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My days in high school are almost at an end and I don't want to run to my teachers with this question.
So can someone please explain this to me: why an accelerated charge emits photons and loses energy?
Links and references are also welcome. Thanks in advance.
 
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  • #2
This radiation is present in classical electrodynamics also. Google for "Larmor formula".
 
  • #3
jtbell said:
This radiation is present in classical electrodynamics also. Google for "Larmor formula".

Ok...that went way over my head! I haven't learned electrodynamics yet! So could you kindly explain what is happening without equations?
 
  • #5
thanx a lot! that gave me explanations to a lot of "untold stories". i admit that i need to pursue a little more of this to understand the full explanation with maths... but still, something, is much much better than nothing.
:D
 
  • #6
one more question... will a moving charge be influenced by the field it creates?
 

1. What is an accelerated charge?

An accelerated charge is any charged particle that is undergoing a change in its velocity. This can be a change in speed, direction, or both.

2. Why does an accelerated charge emit photons?

When a charged particle is accelerated, it creates a disturbance in the electromagnetic field. This disturbance, known as an electromagnetic wave, travels through space as a photon.

3. How does an accelerated charge lose energy?

As the charged particle emits photons, it loses a small amount of its energy with each emission. This is due to the conservation of energy, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed.

4. Can an accelerated charge emit photons without losing energy?

No, the emission of photons is always accompanied by a loss of energy for the charged particle. This is because photons carry energy, and the conservation of energy requires that the charged particle must lose an equivalent amount of energy in order to emit the photon.

5. How does the rate of photon emission affect the energy loss of an accelerated charge?

The rate of photon emission is directly proportional to the energy loss of an accelerated charge. This means that the more photons emitted, the greater the energy loss for the charged particle.

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