Lecturer: N.H. Buttimore
Date: 1997-98
Groups: SS Theoretical Physics, optional JS Theoretical Physics, JS and SS Mathematics
Prerequisites:
Duration: 21 weeks.
Lectures per week: 3
Assessment:
Examinations: One 3-hour examination
Course 432 on classical field theory is approached from a Lagrangian viewpoint. In that sense it is a natural continuation from the S.F. course in Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics. Classical, in this context, means non-quantized; the course will mostly be concerned with relativistic fields, and some background in special relativity is expected.
A substantial part of the course will be devoted to classical electro-dynamics, treated covariantly with emphasis on radiation and the propagation of energy-momentum. The range of topics in electro-dynamics and the level of treatment will correspond to the latter part of J.D. Jackson's book on Classical Electro-dynamics.