Application of Noethers to Lorentz force Lagrangian with boost

In summary, Lagrangian topics can be difficult to understand, but applying Noether's theorem can help.
  • #1
Peeter
305
3
I've been slowly self studying Lagrangian topics, and have gotten to Noether's theorem.

I've tried application of a Lorentz boost to all the terms in the Lorentz force Lagrangian (which is invariant with respect to boost since it has only four vector dot products). Then using Noether's theorem to find the invariant with respect to the boost rapidity I eventually end up with the following pair of vector equations:

[tex]
- ct \frac{d (\gamma \mathbf{p})}{dt} + \mathbf{x} \frac{d (m c \gamma)}{dt} = \frac{q}{c} \frac{d \left( -ct \mathbf{A} + \phi \mathbf{x} \right) }{dt}
[/tex]
[tex]
\mathbf{x} \times \frac{d( \gamma \mathbf{p} )}{dt} = \frac{q}{c} \frac{d}{dt} \left( \mathbf{x} \times \mathbf{A} \right)
[/tex]

I've made up the exersize for myself so I have no back of the book solutions to check against.

Has anybody seen something like this before, and if so did I get the right result?
 
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  • #3
okay, thanks (that ascii thread is hard to read but at least my result is similar). I'll have to massage things to match them up more closely.

What I didn't realize until I read that is that my rotation wasn't fixed as either hyperbolic or euclidean since I didn't actually specify the specific nature of the bivector for the rotational plane. So I ended up with results for both the spatial invariance and the boost invariance at the same time. Oops;)

Of the six equations that generated the above

[tex]
x^\mu v^\nu - x^\nu v^\mu = \frac{q}{mc} \frac{d}{d\tau} \left( A^\mu x^\nu - A^\nu x^\mu \right)
[/tex]

the first vector equation above (taking space time indexes) is the conserved quantity for a boost, and the second for purely spatial indexes is the conserved quantity for spatial rotation. That makes my result seem more reasonable since I didn't expect to get so much only considering boost.
 

Related to Application of Noethers to Lorentz force Lagrangian with boost

1. What is the Lorentz force Lagrangian?

The Lorentz force Lagrangian is a mathematical expression that describes the dynamics of a charged particle in an electromagnetic field. It takes into account the particle's position, velocity, and the strength of the electric and magnetic fields.

2. How does Noether's theorem apply to the Lorentz force Lagrangian?

Noether's theorem states that for every continuous symmetry in a physical system, there is a corresponding conserved quantity. In the case of the Lorentz force Lagrangian, the symmetry is the invariance of the laws of physics under Lorentz transformations, and the conserved quantity is the total energy of the system.

3. What is the role of boosts in the application of Noether's theorem to the Lorentz force Lagrangian?

Boosts are a type of Lorentz transformation that describes the change in coordinates for an observer moving at a constant velocity relative to another observer. In the context of Noether's theorem, boosts are used to determine the conserved quantities associated with symmetries in the Lorentz force Lagrangian.

4. Can Noether's theorem be applied to other physical systems besides the Lorentz force Lagrangian?

Yes, Noether's theorem can be applied to a wide range of physical systems, including classical and quantum mechanical systems. It has been used to derive important conservation laws, such as conservation of energy, momentum, and angular momentum.

5. What are some practical applications of Noether's theorem and the Lorentz force Lagrangian?

One practical application is in the field of electrodynamics, where the Lorentz force Lagrangian and Noether's theorem are used to study the behavior of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields. They have also been applied in the development of theories such as special relativity and quantum electrodynamics.

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