vanhees71 said:Accelerated charges radiate electromagnetic waves. From the point of view of the particles alone, the process is dissipative, because the charges loose energy when being accelerated. Of course the total amount of energy of a closed system of charges and the electromagnetic field is conserved. The energy lost by the particles is carried away by the (radiative part of the) electromagnetic field.
You should be warned that the quantitative understanding of this issue within classical electrodynamics is a very tough subject. It has been solved for practical purposes only quite recently. This is treated in great detail in the marvelous book
Fritz Rohrlich, Classical Charged Particles, World Scientific, 2007
Say we begin with n particles with charge of the same sign, initially kept still by other forces, and assume that fields are given by retarded solution of the Maxwell equations. Let's assume that the system has rest energy equal to sum of rest energy of the particles and the energy of the electrostatic field.Well for simplicity sake let's say you have n charged particles confined to some small region, they will exert a force on each other causing accelerations which in term causes energy to be radiated off to infinity. My question is, once all the energy at the start have been lost what will the particles do?
An electromagnetic system is a physical system that involves the interaction of electric and magnetic fields. This can include a wide range of systems, from electronic circuits to electromagnetic radiation.
A dissipative electromagnetic system is one that loses energy over time. This can occur due to resistive effects, such as the conversion of electrical energy into heat, or through the emission of electromagnetic radiation.
This is due to the fundamental laws of thermodynamics, which state that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another. In an electromagnetic system, energy is constantly being converted and dissipated.
Yes, dissipative effects can be minimized through the use of materials with low resistance, efficient design of circuits, and proper shielding to reduce electromagnetic radiation.
Understanding dissipative effects in electromagnetic systems is important for designing efficient electronic devices, such as computers and smartphones. It also has applications in fields such as power generation and transmission, where minimizing energy loss is crucial for efficiency.