Originally written in 1964, this famous text is a study of the classical theory of charged particles
Many applications treat electrons as point particles. At the same time, there is a widespread belief that the theory of point particles is beset with various difficulties such as an infinite electrostatic self-energy, a rather doubtful equation of motion which admits physically meaningless solutions, violation of casuality and others. The classical theory of charged particles has been largely ignored and has been left in an incomplete state since the discovery of quantum mechanics. Despite the great efforts of men such as Lorentz, Abraham, Poincare, and Dirac, it is usually regarded as a lost cause. The author takes a look back at this theory, to put it in the right perspective, and above all, to complete the unfinished work of the past.
|
|