10.

3 The Liknard-Wiechert Potentials of a Moving Point Charge 215

Now we use the relation

W
K
c l dksinAkcsinBkc= - - [ 6 ( A + B ) -6(A - B ) ] ,
2

which can be verified by replacing the sines by exponentials and using the integral representation
of the one-dimensional delta function. Thus G can be expressed as the sum of two delta function
contributions, i.e. we obtain

Since the argument of the second delta function is nowhere zero for t > t’ this cannot contribute
t o G. We thus obtain

(10.25)

This Green’s function describes the effect at time t > t’ and at radius T > T’ of a delta function-like
cause at time t = t‘ and radius T = T’ propagating from the source with the velocity of light.

10.3 The Lihnard-Wiechert Potentials of a Moving

Point Charge
Our aim is now to calculate the potentials $(r,t),A(r,t) for the case of
a point charge moving with velocity v ( t ) . The very important results we
obtain are the so-called Liknard- Wiechert potentials. We expect, of course,
to regain in the limit of vanishing velocity the well known static expressions
we had before.
We let ro(t) be the vector representing the path or trajectory of the point
charge e and set
v(t)= ro(t)

for its velocity. The charge density can then be written

and the current density

j(r, t ) = p(r, t)v(t)= ev(t)6(r - ro(t)). (10.27)

We consider first the scalar potential 4. Inserting into Eq. (10.17) the