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107 votes
5 answers
109k views

How and why do accelerating charges radiate electromagnetic radiation?

Let's consider it case by case: Case 1: Charged particle is at rest. It has an electric field around it. No problem. That is its property. Case 2: Charged particle started moving (it's accelerating)....
claws's user avatar
  • 7,335
63 votes
7 answers
12k views

Does a constantly accelerating charged particle emit EM radiation or not?

The Abraham-Lorentz force gives the recoil force, $\mathbf{F_{rad}}$, back on a charged particle $q$ when it emits electromagnetic radiation. It is given by: $$\mathbf{F_{rad}} = \frac{q^2}{6\pi \...
John Eastmond's user avatar
30 votes
3 answers
3k views

How is the energy loss by an accelerating charge expressed in the equations of motion?

I understand how, and why, an accelerating charge emits radiation, and loses energy in the process, as well as the Larmor formula for the power, and its derivation. However, in classical mechanics, ...
roymend's user avatar
  • 812
20 votes
2 answers
2k views

Does an accelerating electric dipole radiate?

For such a simple question I'm finding it remarkably hard to get a definitive answer. Googling has not helped me. Consider an ideal electric dipole that is constant i.e. neither its magnitude nor ...
John Rennie's user avatar
14 votes
4 answers
11k views

Why doesn't a charged particle moving with constant velocity produce electromagnetic waves?

A charged particle moving with an acceleration produces electromagnetic waves. Why doesn't a charged particle moving with a constant velocity produce electromagnetic waves? As far I understand, the ...
Devansh Mittal's user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
15k views

Why do accelerating electrons emit radiation?

I know how you can emit light with an alternating current, running back and forth, creating an electric field in addition to the magnetic field. But why does an electron emit light when it gets ...
user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
3k views

If you run an electric current through a wire loop, do the accelerated charges radiate?

Does an accelerated charge always radiate? For example the current electrons in an electric circuit when moving through a turn they are accelerated, do they radiate because of that acceleration? If ...
Revo's user avatar
  • 17.1k
11 votes
3 answers
4k views

Why doesn't a charged particle radiate energy in circular motion in a uniform magnetic field?

I have studied in my Physics course that one of the drawbacks of Rutherford's atomic model was that when an electron will revolve around the nucleus, it is undergoing acceleration and so it should ...
awareeye's user avatar
  • 221
11 votes
2 answers
1k views

Is it true that any system of accelerating charges will radiate?

I was recently told by a physics teacher that "any system of charges in which at least some of the charges are executing some sort of accelerated motion, will radiate and lose energy". This refers to ...
a06e's user avatar
  • 3,732
10 votes
5 answers
6k views

Why does an accelerated charge radiate away energy?

My textbook says: "Neils Bohr objected to the idea of an electron orbiting a nucleus in a circular orbit. An electron experiences centripetal acceleration and an accelerated charge radiates away ...
Bøbby Leung's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
952 views

Why does an accelerating neutral object not emit Bremsstrahlung radiation? [duplicate]

It is a well established fact that accelerating charges, positive or negative, emit radiation. Why then does a neutral object made up of equal amounts of positive and negative charge not emit any ...
SlothForeva's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
584 views

Will a change in reference frame produce light? [duplicate]

Let's say I have a charged particle in front of me. If I start spinning in place, the charged particle will appear accelerated to me from my reference frame. If the laws of physics pertaining to this ...
Shreyash Chaudhari's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
658 views

What is the condition for accelerating charge to radiate?

I was always taught that any accelerating charge produces radiation, but I don't think this condition is sufficient condition. For instance, any free charge on Earth is accelerated due to Earth ...
user34787's user avatar
  • 123
7 votes
3 answers
491 views

Are electromagnetic waves only caused by accelerating charges?

Like the title says, are electromagnetic waves only caused by accelerating charges? Are there any other methods for the generation of photons? If electromagnetic waves are ONLY able to be created by ...
Queso Pez's user avatar
  • 195
6 votes
5 answers
2k views

Does a rotating ring of charge radiate power or not?

The Larmor Formula suggests that the power radiated by an accelerating charge is non zero. But we know that a uniformly charged non-conducting ring rotating about its central axis does not radiate. ...
Lelouch's user avatar
  • 3,616

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