Advanced Electromagnetism: Foundations, Theory and Applications 9810220952, 9789810220952

Advanced Electromagnetism: Foundations, Theory and Applications treats what is conventionally called electromagnetism or

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 9810220952, 9789810220952

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ADVANCED ELECTROMAGNETISM Foundations, Theory and Applications

)lo

! Editors

Terence W. Barrett Dale M. Grimes World Scientific

ADVANCED ELECTROMAGNETISM Foundations,

Theory and Applications

Nous ne savons le tout de rien. -

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

ADVANCED ELECTROMAGNETISM Foundations, Theory and Applications

Editors

Terence W. Barrett BSE.I, USA

Dale M. Grimes Pennsylvania StateUniversity, USA

\\I, WI

World Scientific Singapore• New Jersey• London• Hong Kong

Published by

World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. P O Box 128, Farrer Road, Singapore 9128 USA office: Suite 18, 1060 Main Street, River Edge, NJ 07661 UK office: 51 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE

ADVANCED ELECTROMAGNETISM: FOUNDATIONS, THEORY AND APPLICATIONS Copyright© 1995 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the Publisher.

For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, Massachusetts 01923, USA. ISBN 981-02-2095-2

Printed in Singapore.

V

FOREWORD

There can be little doubt that Maxwell's equations constitute one of the great landmarks in physical theory. Their basic accuracy has been confirmed innumerable times, in many different types of experiment. Their invariance properties led Einstein to his special theory of relativity. Moreover, their gauge-theoretic interpretation led to non-Abelian generalizations, fundamental to modem particle physics. Their elegant mathematical form has provided several important influences on the development of mathematics itself. These facts should not, however, deter theoretical or experimental physicists from seeking alternative descriptions, unconventional formulations, surprising electromagnetic effects, or radical generalizations. The various articles in this book provide the reader with a great variety of different kinds of approach to developments of this nature. We have historically motivated accounts, suggestions for new experiments, unconventional viewpoints and attempts at generalizations. We also see novel and ingenious formulations of electromagnetic theory of various different kinds. I am sure that this book will make it clear that electromagnetism is a subject that is in no way closed to stimulating new developments. It is very much alive as a source of fruitful new ideas. Roger Penrose

VII

PREFACE The papers in this book are separated into three categories: Foundations, Theory, and Applications. Tne unifying theme of all chapters in all categories is a broader view of electromagnetism than usually taken. We have deliberately invited some papers that we know challenge the conventional view of electromagnetism. Our justification for this might be described as follows. Before the development of anything begins - whether theorem, thermometer, or theodolite - the design should be frozen; otherwise continuing developments produce continuous design changes, and ultimate frustration. Therefore during the development of a theory, device or system, careful designers must act with incomplete knowledge. A timely example is the design of computers. The field evolves so rapidly that next year's tools, both software and hardware, will be better and less expensive than this year's, yet the product of today must be based upon last year's frozen design. Just as a system design is frozen for progress may be made in system development, theories are frozen so progress may be made in applications. In the 1920s and '30s the founders of quantum theory knew that their understanding was incomplete. Although serious questions regarding interpretations were raised by de Broglie, Schrodinger, Einstein, et al., the descriptive equations formed the basis of contemporary quantum theory, and, in tum, solid state physics and, later, the electronic-based evolution of society. But forging ahead in this way carries an inherent risk: With each success of a working model come additional adherents to the view that the interpretation adopted as correct as a pragmatic measure at the time is correct for all time, rather than a photographic still taken during its evolution. For example a Time magazine quote by Hynek (August 1967) states: ''There is a tendency in the twentieth century to forget that there will be a twenty-first century science, and, indeed, a thirtieth century science from which vantage points our knowledge of the universe may appear quite different." The major point with respect to the present endeavor is that great predictive power without physical insight may be an impediment to future progress. In the case of the theory of electromagnetism, the theory was first simplified before being frozen. Maxwell expressed electromagnetism in the algebra of quaternions and made the electromagnetic potential the centerpiece of his theory. In 1881 Heaviside replaced the electromagnetic potential field by force fields as the centerpiece of electromagnetic theory. According to him, the electromagnetic potential field was arbitrary and needed to be "assassinated" (sic). A few years later there was a great debate between Heaviside and Tate about the relative merits of vector analysis and quaternions. The result was the realization that there was no need for the greater physical insights provided by quaternions if the theory was purely local, and vector analysis became commonplace.

VIII

The vast applications of electromagnetic theory since then were made using vector analysis. Although generations of very effective students were trained using vector analysis, more might be learned physically by returning, if not to quaternions, to other mathematical formulations in certain well-defined circumstances. As examples, since the time when the theoretical design for electromagnetism was frozen, gauge theory has been invented and brought to maturity and topology and geometry have been introduced to field theory. Although most persons view their subject matter through the filter of the mathematical tools in which they are trained, the best mathematical techniques for a specific analysis depend upon the best match between the algebraic logic and the underpinning physical dynamics of a theoretical system. Several chapters in this book challenge the view that the algebraic logic of electromagnetism is constant under all conditions, local and global. Hence the quotation on the frontispiece by the mathematician, physicist, religious philosopher and prose stylist Blaise Pascal (1623-1662):

Nous ne savons le tout de rien. We only know everything about nothing. 1 Since several chapters present experimental and theoretical evidence that we do not know all that might be known about electromagnetism, to think we do is hubris. We hope that the material presented in this book will inspire others to view electromagnetism as a dynamic field worthy of additional research. Each chapter of this book was invited. The chapters are directed towards a new understanding of previously neglected or misunderstood results and experiments, towards a treatment of new experiments, new physical understanding, new mathematical techniques and an extension of electromagnetism when the appropriate boundary conditions require alteration of the foundation algebraic logic. Several chapters in this book use modem analytical tools to examine empirical evidence that was either unknown, too difficult to interpret, or considered unimportant when the old paradigm was frozen. For example, a common viewpoint is that electromagnetic fields are separate from space-time. Chapters of this book that address the issue consider electromagnetic fields to be an integrated part of spacetime. They also stress the importance of the underlying algebraic logic to electromagnetic field theories. This is congruent with the view, beginning with Riemann, that the concept of force is secondary to geometry. Using a group theory description, conventional electromagnetism is a local theory of U(l) symmetry form with electric charge and an absence of magnetic charge. For many, even most, conditions, this description works well. However, electromagnetic solitons are wellknown to be of SU(2) symmetry, indicating a need to extend electromagnetic theory

1We are indebted to 0. Costa de Beauregard for this quotation.

IX

to higher symmetry forms under well-defined topological and boundary conditions. The extension of conventional electromagnetism to higher symmetry forms permits easier and more physically informative descriptions of such entities as solitons, etc. The foundational algebraic logic must reflect the topological and boundary conditions. Armed only with differential calculus there is no awareness that field dynamics is held hostage by the topological restrictions determining the algebraic logic. This view raises a question of importance to those seeking a unification of all forces. Perhaps unification of other forces with electromagnetism needs to be with a higherorder symmetry form of electromagnetism than the U(l) form. Such new approaches have impact not only on the foundations and theory, but also in the applied area. For example, early in this century a dichotomy became apparent between an atomic level application of classical electromagnetism and experimental results. After a score more years, the differences were called irreconcilable; electromagnetic theory was applied to atomic phenomena where results agree and ignored otherwise. One chapter asks if today's technology leads to the same conclusions. Part of the analysis contrasts radiation from antennas and electrons. Although both exchange energy with the fields, descriptive and analysis techniques are disparate: Electron analysis ignores field patterns and emphasizes initial and final states and kinematic radiation properties. Antenna analysis ignores states and kinematics and emphasizes field patterns. Antennas have a lower limit to the diameter-to-wavelength ratio. Electrons do not. The chapter concludes that the imaginary part of the complex Poynting theorem applied to multiple sources has been misinterpreted, and that the working model of an electron needs modification. With these changes, atomic properties are consistent with and derivable from the classical field equations. Two chapters emphasize the importance of exact solutions to electromagnetic field problems. One chapter examines numerical and analytical methods for evaluating field integrals about current-carrying wires and obtains an exact formulation for the vector potential about a current-carrying wire. This chapter is an expansion and compilation of other papers that have received several awards. According to one of the award citations, "Tnis work will significantly impact method of moments wire modeling by eliminating the need to perform numerical integration and extending the range of wire diameters that can be successfully modeled." The other chapter obtains an exact solution to a receiving antenna. Unless users of iterative solution methods are sufficiently imaginative in their choice of starting conditions, solutions will not converge to the complete answer, and the user will not know this lack of convergence. This chapter obtains the electromagnetically complete set of receiving antenna current modes. Among other matters, it is learned that receiving modes are essential for electromagnetic momentum to be conserved during reception. Science and engineering do not march steadily onward, and some of the authors feel that we must return to the literature of the time when the foundations of electromagnetism were being frozen to continue progress in foundations, theory and

X

applications. The feeling is that re-working some of the old problems reveals that the theoretical choices which have worked so well for us in later years are true only conditionally, and, if the conditions are changed, the choices made then are not wrong, but inappropriate under the changed conditions. The intention of these contributors is to place contemporary electromagnetic theory within a larger context of contemporary developments in all of field theory. In the light of the circumstances described above, we can define the field and endeavor: advanced electromagnetism is the study of the wider development of electromagnetism as a field theory, talcing the contemporary formulation as an extremely important special case.

Terence W. Barrett, Vienna, Virginia, U.S.A. Dale M. Grimes, University Park, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

XI

CONTENTS

Foreword Preface

V

Vil

Foundations 1.

Gauge Theories, and Beyond R. Aldrovandi

2.

Helicity and Electromagnetic Field Topology G. E. Marsh

3.

Electromagnetic Gauge as Integration Condition: Einstein's Mass-Energy Equivalence Law and Action-Reaction Opposition 0. C. de Beauregard

4.

The Symmetry Between Electricity and Magnetism and the Problem of the Existence of a Magnetic Monopole G. Lochak

5. Quantization as a Wave Effect

3

52

77

105

148

P. Comille

6. Twistors in Field Theory J. Frauendiener and S.-T. Tsou 7.

Foundational Electrodynamics and Beltrami Vector Fields D. Reed

8. A Classical Field Theory Explanation of Photons D. M. Grimes and C. A. Grimes 9.

Sagnac Effect: A Consequence of Conservation of Action Due to Gauge Field Global Conformal Invariance in a MultiplyJoined Topology of Coherent Fields T. W. Barrett

182

217

250

278

XII

10. Gravitation as a Fourth Order Electromagnetic Effect A. K. T. Assis

314

1I.

332

Hertzian Invariant Forms of Electromagnetism T. E. Phipps Jr.

Theory 12. Pancharatnam's Phase in Polarization Optics W Dultz and S. Klein 13. Frequency-Dependent Dyadic Green Functions for Bianisotropic Media W S. Weig/ho/er 14. Covariances and Invariances of the Maxwell Postulates A. Lakhtakia

357

376

390

15. Solitons and Chaos in Periodic Nonlinear Optical Media and Lasers J.-H. Feng and F. K. Kneubiihl

411

16. The Balance Equations of Energy and Momentum in Classical Electrodynamics J. L. Jimenez and I. Campos

464

17. Non-Abelian Stokes Theorem B. Broda

496

18. Extension of Ohm's Law to Electric and Magnetic Dipole Currents H. F. Harmuth

506

19. Relativistic Implications in Electromagnetic Field Theory M. Sachs

541

20.

560

Symmetries, Conservation Laws, and Maxwell's Equations J. Pohjanpelto

XIII

Applications 21.

Six Experiments with Magnetic Charge V. F. M ikhailov

22. Ampere Force: Experimental Tests

593 620

R. Saumont

23. The Newtonian Electrodynamics and Its Experimental Foundation P. Graneau

24. Localized Waves and Limited Diffraction Beams

636 667

M. R. Palmer

25. Analytical and Numerical Methods for Evaluating Electromagnetic Field Integrals Associated with Current-Carrying Wire Antennas D. H. Werner

26. Transmission and Reception of Power by Antennas D. M. Grimes and C. A. Grimes

682 763

GAUGE THEORIES, AND BEYOND R. ALDROV ANDI# INSTITlITO DE FISICA TE6RICA UNIVERSIDADE ESTADUAL PAULISTA Rua Pamplona, 145 01405-900 - Sao Paulo SP Brazil

Abstract Gauge theories, which describe the electromagnetic, the weak and the strong interactions, are summarized and translated into differential geometric language. The bundle formalism is shown to allow a very economical presentation of the local aspects of these theories in terms of the Lie algebras of the tangent fields. Bundles provide also the geometrical background for gravitation as described by General Relativity. Gauge field strengths are curvatures on bundles built up with spacetime and the gauge groups, whereas a gravitational field is a curvature on the bundle of the spacetime frames. Difficulties in unifying the gauge field interactions between themselves and with gravitation suggest that we should go beyong the bundle scheme and look for some deformation of it, capable of accomodating the four known basic interactions. An attractive suggestion has been made by Sakharov, that gravitation is a consequence of quantum fluctuations of the vacua of the other fields. It is our aim here to show that gauge theories offer an alternative approach. Deformations are introduced as Lie extensions of the tangent field algebras of gauge theories. They are shown to induce a non-trivial vacuum already at the classical level and to be able to engender effects similar to the gravitational field.

O. Introduction

Of the four interactions of Nature accepted today as fundamental, three are described by gauge theories 1. Electromagnetism, by itself a gauge theory for the group U( 1), is also a partner of the weak interaction in the # With partial support of CNPq, Brasilia and FINEP- Rio de Janeiro.

E-Mail: Raldrovandi @ IFf.UESP.ANSP.BR; Fax:(55)(011)288 8224. 1 The subject is treated in every modem text on Field Theory, from the classical treatise by N.N. Bogoliubov and D.V. Shirkov, Introduction to the Theory of Quantized Fields, 3rd ed. (J.Wiley, New York, 1980) to the more recent C. ltzykson and J.-B. Zuber, Quantum Field Theory (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1980); there are many specialized texts, such as L.D. Faddeev and A.A. Slavnov, Gauge Fields.Introduction to Quantum Theory (Benjamin/Cummings, Reading, Mass., 1978); for an excellent short introduction covering practically all the main points, see R. Jackiw, Rev.Mod.Phys. 52 (1980) 661.

4

electroweak SU(2)®U(l) Weinberg-Salam theory. The interaction binding the quarks to make up the hadrons is described by chromodynamics, a gauge theory for the "color" group SU(3). The three theories are combined in the "standard model", with the direct product SU(3)@SU(2)®U(l) as the gauge group. Besides an impressive amount of experimental successes, these theories are of sound theoretical health: they are renormalizable, that is, fully compatible with Quantum Mechanics. The phenomenology of weakly interacting elementary particles had, already in the fifties, determined that massive vector bosons should intermediate the interactions, but theories involving vector bosons are in general non-renonnalizable. The problem was solved around 1970, when 't Hooft and Veltman showed that they would be renonnalizable provided the bosons were related to that very special kind of vector fields, gauge fields. Gauge bosons are made massive by the Higgs mechanism, which involves additional scalar fields and a non-invariant ground state (or "vacuum"). The phenomenological evidence for these theories is overwhelming, but some lacunae remain. Direct experimental confirmation is still missing for some predictions, as the pure gluon-gluon interaction and the existence of the Higgs boson. There is the unsettled quark confinement problem and the difficulties with further unification. The Weinberg-Salam model is not a unified theory, as the relation between the electromagnetic and the weak coupling constants involve a third, independent parameter. The grand-unified scheme has been disallowed by the experiments which did not find the predicted proton decay. The problem of unification remains and it is only natural to look for inspiration in the only working theory which is not of the gauge type. We say this because the fourth basic interaction, gravitation as described by General Relativity, stands apart in proud aloofness. Despite a large body of favorable experimental evidence, also here not everything is perfect: there are problems in accounting for spin and a satisfactory solution of the problem of renormalizability is as yet missing. There is a general feeling that, despite the experimental support found for gauge theories and General Relativity, they should be somehow enlarged or deformed, the present dominating trends being those involving strings, supersymmetry and quantum groups. Of all that has been said about the relation of gravitation to the other interactions, perhaps the most enticing suggestion 2 is that by Zeldovich and Sakharov, that gravitation is a manifestation of the vacuum of the other fields. Most of the studies in this line have aimed at showing that "gravitational" characteristics like curvature could be obtained from

2 A.O.

Sakharov, Doklady 12 ( 1968) l 040.

5

quantum fluctuations3. Calculations are extremely difficult and no conclusive results have been obtained. We present here a classical alternative to that proposal, a deformation of the gauge pattern based on the theory of Lie algebra extensions. It is shown that the presence of a noninvariant vacuum can indeed lead to those "gravitational" attributes. The first gauge theory of standing consequence was that of Yang and Mills 4 , published in 1954. At about the same time the mathematicians 5 were giving the final touches to the construct of fiber bundles. It tum~ out that fiber bundles stand in the background6 both of gauge theories and General Relativity, as stage scenes on which dynamics displays its drama. This is not so surprising - the bundle formalism is only pure geometry writ in a highly economical way. Nothing more than a purely descriptive account of each topic will have place in the short space we are allowed here. This is the main reason for the pontifical style adopted. We shall, except in the first chapter, use anti-hermitian group generators and neglect the explicit mention of coupling constants. Section I is an elementary resume of standard classical gauge theory. Some differential geometric language 7 is introduced in Section II, with accent on vector fields and differential forms. Special emphasis is put on the fact that the tangent structure contains all the local information on a manifold. Section III is a portrait, in broad brushstrokes, of the formalism of fiber bundles. Section IV concentrates on the tangent structure of the bundles, which is shown to summarize also the local dynamics of gauge theories. Section V comments on gauge fields and gravitation, their similarities and differences. In Section VI the theory of Lie algebra extensions is sketched, adapted to the bundle tangent structure and used to obtain a "deformed" version of gauge theories. Quantities of gravitational appeal, like curvature and torsion, emerge from the deformation.

3 For a review, see S. Adler, Rev.Mod.Phys. 54 ( 1982) 729. 4 C.N. Yang and R.L. Mills, Phys. Rev. 96 (1954) 191. 5 For general contemporary accounts, see N. Steenrod, The Topology of Fibre Bundles (Princeton University Press, 1970); A. Lichnerowicz, Theorie Globale des Connexions et des Groupes d'Holonomie (Dunod, Paris, 1955). 6 A. Trautman, CzchJ.Phys. B29 (1979) 107 ; M. Daniel and C.M. Viallet, Rev.Mod. Phys. Sl ( 1980) 175. 7 W.M. Boothby, An introduction to differentiable manifolds and Riemannian geometry (Academic Press, New York, 1975).

6

1. The Gauge Makeup 1.1 Pure electromagnetism It is well known that the electromagnetic Lagrangian -

-

-

-

£ = ~ {i 'Pyµaµ 'P- i[aµ o/]yµq,} - m q, q, + e Aµ q, yµq, -

1 4

pr1vFµv

(1)

is invariant under the global gauge transformations q, (x)

--+

(2)

'P'(x) = eiaq, (x),

with a a constant phase. This invariance leads to charge conservation. The phase factor eia is an element of the group U(l) of lxl unitary matrices. But £ is also invariant under local transformations, in which the phase is pointdependent, provided the vector potencial changes concomitantly as Aµ(x)

---+

A'µ(x) = Aµ(x) +

le aµa(x).

(3)

The field strength F µv = aµAy - avAµ is invariant. Eq. 1 is the same as £ =~{i'P yµ (dµ- ieAµ)'P- i[(oµ+ ieAµ)

'P ]yµ'P}-m

qi 'II- ~pµvpµv.

(4)

Comparison with the free case leads to the minimal coupling prescription: replace each derivative in the Lagrangian by a "covariant derivative",

(5) In the bundle formalism such derivatives are natural features of the geometric background. The electromagnetic potential Aµ must behave as in Eq. 3 in order to compensate for the derivatives aµa(x) turning up in the point-dependent case. It appears as a "compensating field". The phase factors eia(x) are now point-dependent elements of the abelian gauge group U(l). 1.2 The non-abelian case Gauge theories got really started when Yang and Mills replaced U(l) by the isospin group SU(2) of the 2x2 special unitary matrices, whose non-

7

abelian character makes a great difference. Utiyamas generalized their procedure to any Lie group G generated by matrices la. Each source field will now be a multiplet transforming according to

'II (x)

-->

'1'1(x)

=U(x) 'l'(x) =eia~x)T a 'l'(x).

(6)

Here a, b, c, ... (= 1, 2, 3, ... , dim G) are indices of the group Lie algebra. Ta= p(Ja) is the gauge group generator Ja in the representation p of the multiplet 'II. The aa's are the group parameters and the phase factors U(x), elements of G, are now operators. The derivatives present some new problems. Each group parameter will require a compensating field A aµ(x). The la's satisfy the general commutation relations

(7) where the~ ab's are the structure constants of G, and will transform by la

-->

Ja' = eia~x)Ja la e-iah(x)Jb_

(8)

The vector potential will then be the matrix a

Aµ(x) = J a A µ(x).

(9)

This means that Aµ(x) belongs to the adjoint representation of G, by which the group acts by (Eq. 8) on its own Lie algebra. To sustain the role of compensating field, this matrix potential will have to transform as -1

I

Aµ(x)-+ A µ(x) = UAµ(x)U (x) +

gi UaµU-1.

(10)

In the original Yang-Mills theory, the Ja's are in the SU(2) Lie algebra. In the lowest-dimensional representation, Ti = ~ Oi, the Oi's being the Pauli . o 1 = ( o1 01 ) ; o 2 = ( oi -iO ) ; o 3 = ( 0I _O1 ) . Th e potent1a · I 1s · t hen matnces _

A-

8 R.

Utiyama,Phys. Rev.

1 ( -2

Al µ-I"A2 µ) Al µ+I"A2µ -A3µ ·

101( 1956) 1597.

A3 µ

(11)

The minimal coupling rule accounts for the local symmetry of a field 'I', belonging to the representation p: it is enough the change the derivatives on '11by covariant derivatives, (12)

where Ta= p(Ja)- Singlets are invariant (Ta= 0) and do not "feel" the gauge field. There are two quite distinct kinds of fields, the source fields and the gauge fields, transforming respectively as in Eq. 6 and Eq. 10. The field strength is also a matrix in the adjoint representation, (13) (14)

It is no more invariant as in the abelian case, but only covariant. In detail, (15) Extensive use will be made of the symbol [Aµv], indicating complete antisymmetrization of the bracketed indices. The Bianchi identity (16)

is an automatic consequence of Eq. 15. The operator acting on Faµv is the covariant derivative of the field strength. If we define the dual tensor (17)

the above expression may be written in the compact form

~ Faµv + fi>cAbAFcµv = 0.

(18)

The field equations are the Yang-Mills equations (19)

or equivalently

9

(20) where the Jav's are the source currents. When Jav = 0, the field equations are just the Bianchi identities written for the dual of F. This is the duality symmetry . The Bianchi identities will be seen to have a purely geometrical content, so that this symmetry establishes a relationship between dynamics and the geometric background. In this sense gauge theories are "more geometric" than General Relativity, which shows no such relationship. Eq. 19 can be written directly for any Lie group: it is enough to know the structure constants. It is usually obtained from the Lagrangian £ = ~ trFµvFµv + £source, but comes also by the duality prescription: find the sourceless equation by duality symmetry and add the source current. This rule gives the field equations even when no Lagrangian is available, as in the case of a non-semisimple gauge group9. Dµ, the covariant derivative of the dual, is a covariant coderivative. It follows from the field equations that (21)

because DvDµPµv

=~

[Dv, Dµ] pµv

= ~ ph µv flbcpcµv = 0. The vanishing

of a current divergence leads to a charge conservation by Noether's first theorem, but the vanishing of a covariant divergence, by Noether's second theorem, only implies the invariance and good behaviour of the theory 10. The Lagrangian for a Dirac source field will be £= ½{i'PyJ'(.Jmi= 213. The figure also shows the effect of imposing 81 (mod 2n) and Bi(mod 2n). Notice that the topology of the torus is obtained by identifying opposite sides of a rectangle. If roilmi is a rational number, roi and mi may be chosen so that they do not have a common divisor other than unity, and are therefore relatively prime. For roi ~ 2 and mi> 3, the field line is knotted and corresponds to the torus knot 10 K"'1,"'2• On the other hand, if roi and mi are rationally independent then roilmi is an irrational number and a field line satisfying Eq. (5) is everywhere dense on the torus; i.e., the field line will come arbitrarily close to any point on the surface of the torus. The closed field line given by roi/mi = 213 required five lines for its representation by the map of the torus shown in Fig. 3(d). A field line that is dense on the torus would completely fill such a map.

*

1.2. Topology of Constant a Solutions to the Force-Free Field Equations

Henon 11 has performed a numerical experiment to illustrate the complicated behavior of the field lines for a force-free field with constant a. He used the form of Eqs. (1) with X; identified with B;, to study the system of equations:

t

=Bx= A sinz + Ccosy,

t

=By= B sinx +A cosz,

t

= Bz = C siny + B cosx,

(7)

where A, Band Care constants. By talcing the curl, the field [Bx, By, Bz] is readily verified to be force-free with a = 1. The system is periodic with period 2n. Henon computed the flow given by Eqs. (7) on a 3-dimensional torus, T 3 • The topology of T 3 is obtained by identifying the opposite faces of a cube; i.e., here by using the coordinates x (mod 2n), y (mod 2n), and z (mod 2n).

57 Fig. 4 shows the numerical integration done by . . .. 0.9 Henon for A= fJ, B = fl, and C = 1. The points ..... 0.8 correspond to successive intersections of a field line 0.7 . with the x,y - plane (mod 2n) specified by the section z = 0 0.6 (mod 2n). The points joined ~ N fo.s by a curve correspond to the e>,. same field line, while all the 0.4 isolated points also correspond to a single field 0.3 line that is not constrained to •,c a surface. The latter are 0.2 •..· "semi-ergodic," filling a 0.1 • .. ... region of 3-dimensional .: space. Dombre, et al. 12 have o 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 o.s 0.6 0.1 0.8 0.9 1.0 made an extensive study of x mod(2n) this system of equations. Fig. 5 shows the Figure 4. Numerical integration of Equations (4.7). The points behavior of Eqs. (7), with joined by a curve correspond to the same field line, and the isolated Henon's values for A, Band points correspond to a single field line not constrained to a surface. C, in three dimensions. The Adapted from: M. Henon, C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris 262A, 312 (1966). field lines in this figure are constrained to different surfaces depending on the choice of initial conditions. Dombre, et al. showed there are six such surfaces or principal vortices. Fig. 6 shows two views of a far more complicated behavior obtained by yet another set of initial conditions. Here, outside the principal vortices, the field lines show a chaotic behavior. The figures were produced by using the Runge-Kutta method of numerically integrating systems of ordinary, first-order differential equations. 1.0

·-

I





6

6

6

6 6 6 Figure 5. The behavior of Eqs. (7) depending on different initial conditions. The field lines are constrained to different surfaces. There are six such surfaces or principal vortices.

58

Figure 6. The behavior of Eqs. (7) for another set of initial conditions. Outside the principal vortices, the field lines have a chaotic character.

2.0 Magnetic Field Helicity The helicity of a magnetic field can be expressed as

lf=

L

(8)

A·B dV.

It is a pseudoscalar that is gauge invariant in simply connected domains provided the normal component of B vanishes on the bounding surface of V. In multiply connected domains, such as the volume bounded by a toroidal magnetic surface, the meaning of the integral, and its physical interpretation, is not immediately clear. For the latter case, consider a gauge transformation A ➔ A + Vx. The helicity introduced by the term associated with Vx is

:Jf

= { Vx-B

Jv

dV

= ( V ·(XB)

Jv

dV

=

1av

(XB)-dS +

1

[x]B·dl:

1,

(9)

l:1

where [x] is the jump across Ii, the cut needed to make x single valued (see Fig. 7). Since the bounding surface of the torus is a magnetic surface, the first term on the right hand side vanishes. It can be shown 13 that [x] is constant on I 1• Thus, r can be taken as bounding Li and [x] can be taken outside the integral. Now for any two points p 1 and p 2, the difference in the value of the scalar function XIS

59

XP2- XP1=

1P2 V X·dl.

(10)

Pl

Figure 7. :1;1 is the cut need to make the scalar function X single valued. The jump [X] in the value of x across the surface :1;1 is constant on :1;1, so that r may be taken as bounding I.i-

If the path of integration is closed, but does not cross the cut needed to make x single valued, the integral will vanish by Stokes' theorem. When the path of integration r does cross the cut :1;1, the value of the jump [z] is (11)

where 1:2 is the magnetic flux through the surface I.i- Thus, (12)

The helicity introduced by the gauge transformation is therefore seen to explicitly depend on the topology. Physically, the helicity derived from the gauge term corresponds to the linkage of the flux contained within the torus with that passing through the "hole in the donut." The computation of magnetic energy in such multiply-connected domains has been discussed elsewhere. 14

2.1. Twist, Kink and Link Helicity Using a geometric invariant of a space curve, called the writhing number 15, Berger and Field 16 decomposed the helicity of a magnetic field into the sum of "twist" and "kink" helicities and, based on the work of Fuller, 17 defined the helicity of open field structures. They made use of a theorem 18 from knot theory 19 that states that the linking number of two curves X and Y, without common points, can be written as the sum of the twist number Tw and the writhing number WR, (13)

60

This makes sense, for example, if one considers X and Y to be the edges of a ribbon; the example given by Berger and Field identifies X with the central axis of a flux rope and Y with a field line winding about this axis. The topological interpretation of helicity in terms of the Gauss linking number and its limiting form, the Calugareanu invariant, has been extensively discussed by Moffatt and Ricca. 20 In knot theory, a crossover is defined to be positive or negative by the right hand rule (see Fig. 8). The writhing number, WR,is defined to be the sum (N+ - N-), where N+ and N- are the number Positive Crossover Negative Crossover of positive and negative crossovers. If a a (p) = -I a (p) = +I link is projected onto a plane so that the Figure 8. Positive and negative crossovers as crossovers are at points p, the linking determined by the right hand rule. number is defined as Lxr =

1L

(14)

a(p),

peXnY

where Xn Y denotes the set of crossings of the link X with the link Y, and a(p) corresponds to the sign, defined by the right hand rule, assigned to each crossover . Examples are given in Fig. 9. a(p) "'+I

Lxy= 0

Lxy= +2

(b)

(a)

Lxy=O Lxy=O a(p)

= +I

Lxz= o y

X =-I

~

Lyz= 0

a(p)=+I

~

Figure 9. Examples of linking number as defined by Eq. ( 14). The absence of linkage implies that the linking number vanishes, but the converse is not true as seen in (c).

61

Note that the absence of linkage implies that the linking number vanishes, but the converse is not true as illustrated by the Whitehead link shown in Fig. 9(c). While the Borromean rings shown in Fig. 9(d) are clearly linked, any two components are unlinked. The twist number, Tw, will be limited here to integer values and the total twist will generally be multiples of 21r. Assume that the writhing number is an invariant. As is seen in Fig. 10, the effect of switching a positive crossing to a negative crossing is equivalent to inserting a link on one of the elements of the crossing.

OR



WR =O'(p) = +1

WR=

l:

O'(p) = +l

(b)

(a)

WR = l: CT(p) = +l (c)

Figure 10. Switching a positive crossing to a negative crossing is equivalent to inserting a link on one of the elements of the crossing. In (a), pc (XnY); in (b), pc (XnY) u (YnZ); and in (c), p

c (XnY) u (XnZ).

In what follows, uniformly twisted flux tubes will be used for heuristic purposes. It must be understood, however, that such tubes, where the zand ~ components of the field are constant and no cu"ent is present, cannot exist in nature. This is clear from the fact that an axial current must be present since

f

B -di, where the integral is about the tube, does

not vanish. Thus, twisted flux loops will have currents present that will in general give rise to additional magnetic fields that link the twisted loop. For a flux tube of small cross section, the integrand in Eq. (8) can be written as A·BdSdl = A·dlBdS, where di is along the axis of the flux tube. Thus, if an originally untwisted flux tube, assumed to be a torus of circular cross section carrying a flux ,is cut, given a twist of 21r,and reconnected, the helicity introduced by the twist is

(15)

62 Note that this is essentially the same result as obtained in Eq. (12). If the original twist had 2, and in general, a twist of 2nTwcorresponds to a twist been 4n, the result would be 2 2• helicity of Jfr = Tw