Why is the curl of the electric dipole moment equal to zero in the far field?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the calculation of electric and magnetic fields from the vector potential in the far field, specifically addressing why the curl of the electric dipole moment, denoted as Pω, equals zero. The vector potential is given by Aω(x) = -ik (eikr/r) Pω, leading to the magnetic field Bω(x) = ∇×Aω(x) and electric field Eω(x) = (i/k) ∇×Bω(x). The curl of Pω is established as zero due to its constant nature, and the discussion also touches on the implications of vector identities in spherical coordinates.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of vector calculus, particularly curl and divergence operations.
  • Familiarity with electromagnetic theory, specifically radiation fields.
  • Knowledge of spherical coordinate systems and their applications in physics.
  • Experience with the concepts of electric dipole moments and their mathematical representations.
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  • Study the derivation of the vector potential Aω from the polarization current formula Jp = ˙P.
  • Learn about the implications of the curl and divergence in spherical coordinates.
  • Explore the relationship between electric dipole moments and their effects on electromagnetic fields.
  • Investigate the mathematical treatment of sinusoidal dipoles and their localization effects in radiation theory.
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Physicists, electrical engineers, and students studying electromagnetic theory, particularly those focusing on radiation fields and dipole interactions.

Krikri
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Hello.Looking at Jackson's ch 9 on radiation, I am trying to calculate the fields E and B from the potentials in the far field but it is very confusing. Given now the approximation for he vector potential

\textbf{A}_{\omega}(x) = -ik \frac{e^{ikr}}{r} \textbf{P}_{\omega}

with \textbf{P}_{\omega} = \int{d^{3}x^{\prime} \textbf{x}^{\prime} \rho_{\omega} (\textbf{x}^{\prime})} the electric dipole moment. The fields are the calculated from

\textbf{B}_{\omega}(x) = \nabla\times\textbf{A}_{\omega}(x) and \textbf{E}_{\omega}(x)= \frac{i}{k}\nabla\times\textbf{B}_{\omega}(x)
So first I tried to computed the B fiels and I get to an expression like

\textbf{B}_{\omega}(x) = \Big[k^2 \frac{e^{ikr}}{r} + ik\frac{e^{ikr}}{r^2}\Big](\hat{n}\times\textbf{P}_{\omega} ) + \Big[-ik\frac{e^{ikr}}{r} (\nabla\times\textbf{P}_{\omega})\Big]

and it seems that \nabla\times\textbf{P}_{\omega} =0 but I am not sute why exactly. I think maybe that the dipole is calculated at the prime coordinates and so the curl is with respect to the not prime coordinates so maybe that's why. Also I am confused on how to proceed with the calculations for the E field \textbf{E}_{\omega}(x)= \frac{i}{k} \Big[\big(k^3\frac{e^{ikr}}{r} - k^2\frac{e^ikr}{r^2}\big)[\hat{n}\times(\hat{n}\times\textbf{P}_{\omega})] + k^2\frac{e^{ikr}}{r} \nabla\times(\hat{n}\times\textbf{P}_{\omega})\Big]

I believe the second term must vanish as i suspect from the result but don't why again. Also the dipole moment which direction has?

I tried to investigate the second term using the vector identity relevant here so

\nabla\times(\hat{n}\times\textbf{P}_{\omega}) =\hat{n}(\nabla\cdot\textbf{P}_{\omega}) - \textbf{P}_{\omega}(\nabla\cdot\hat{n}) + (\textbf{P}_{\omega}\cdot\nabla)\hat{n}- (\hat{n}\cdot\nabla)\textbf{P}_{\omega}

Is this thing zero and why?
 
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All the vector operations on ## P_{\omega} ## are zero because ## P_{\omega} ## is just a constant. The vector operations on ## \hat{n} ## I think need a little consideration, but I think ## \hat{n}=1\hat{a_r} ## in spherical coordinates. You can google the operations of curl and divergence in spherical coordinates. I think the curl vanishes, but not the divergence. The ## P_{\omega}\cdot \nabla \hat{n} ## term also needs to be carefully evaluated. I think this last term is zero because the "1" in front of ## \hat{a_r} ## is a constant. ## \\ ## Just an additional comment: I think the first equation for ## A_{\omega} ## comes from the polarization current formula ## J_p=\dot{P} ## along with ## A(x)=\int {\frac{J(x')}{c|x-x'|} } \, d^3x' ##. (My formula for ## A ## may be a steady state formula, so I may need to do some further reading on the subject). ## \ ## In the ## x' ## integral, the sinusoidal dipole is assumed to be localized near the origin.
 
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