I Where do discontinuities in the electromagnetic field occur?

AI Thread Summary
Discontinuities in the electromagnetic field occur at point charges and along boundaries, particularly where surface charge densities exist, leading to jumps in the normal component of the electric field. In superconductors, the treatment differs from conventional conductors, as they cannot simply be modeled with zero resistance or infinite conductivity; the London theory provides a more accurate framework. The finite resistance in conductors allows electromagnetic waves to penetrate slightly, preventing discontinuities at the microscopic level. Additionally, phenomena like total internal reflection demonstrate that reactive fields can exist even behind reflecting surfaces. Understanding these concepts is crucial for analyzing electromagnetic behavior in various materials.
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Obviously at point charges, but where along boundaries? Would they theoretically occur in superconductors since they can carry infinite current (J -> infinity)?
 
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One example are jumps of the normal component of the electric field along conducting surfaces, carrying a surface charge density. The jump is ##E_{n1}-E_{n2}=\sigma/\epsilon_0##.

Superconductors must be treated differently. They cannot be described by simply making the resistance 0 (or the electric conductivity to ##\infty##). A nice effective theory is the London theory:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_equations
 
vanhees71 said:
One example are jumps of the normal component of the electric field along conducting surfaces, carrying a surface charge density. The jump is ##E_{n1}-E_{n2}=\sigma/\epsilon_0##.

Superconductors must be treated differently. They cannot be described by simply making the resistance 0 (or the electric conductivity to ##\infty##). A nice effective theory is the London theory:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_equations
In practice the resistance of the conductor allows the wave to slightly penetrate. I think the problem in general is that the wavelength is finite and so there is no discontinuity at the microscopic level. For instance, total internal reflection in a prism is accompanied by reactive fields in the air behind the reflecting surface.
 
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