electrodynamics tagged posts

LSU Department of Physics & Astronomy Assistant Professor Ivan Agullo’s new research advances knowledge of a classical theory of electromagnetism. Credit: LSU

Discovery may impact the study of the birth of the universe. Radio waves, microwaves and even light itself are all made of electric and magnetic fields. The classical theory of electromagnetism was completed in the 1860s by James Clerk Maxwell. At the time, Maxwell’s theory was revolutionary, and provided a unified framework to understand electricity, magnetism and optics. Now, new research led by LSU Dept of Physics & Astronomy Assistant Prof. Ivan Agullo, with colleagues from Universidad de Valencia advances knowledge of this theory.

Maxwell’s theory displays a remarkable feature: it remains unaltered under the interchange of the e...

Visualization of dark matter as energy confined within non-radiating anapoles. Credit: Andrey Miroshnichenko

Akin to throwing a pebble into a pond with no splash, this theory could have many apps from explaining dark matter to combating energy losses in future technologies. It appears to contradict a fundamental tenet of electrodynamics, that accelerated charges create electromagnetic radiation, said Dr Miroshnichenko, ANU. “This problem has puzzled many people. It took us a year to get this concept clear in our heads.”

The fundamental new theory could be used in quantum computers, lead to new laser technology and may even hold the key to understanding how matter itself hangs together...