Electromagnetic Power Emitted by an Accelerating Point Charge

TL;DR

This paper derives the current electromagnetic energy emission rate of an accelerating point charge, focusing on the present-time acceleration and velocity, contrasting with traditional retarded-time calculations.

Contribution

It provides a novel derivation of electromagnetic power emission based on present-time kinematic quantities rather than retarded-time values.

Findings

Derivation of energy emission rate at the present time

Comparison with traditional retarded-time methods

Clarification of the relationship between acceleration and emitted power

Abstract

We derive the rate of emission of electromagnetic energy by an accelerating point charge, with the acceleration and velocity in the result being taken at the present time in the motion of the accelerating charge. This contrasts with the usual textbook derivation, which calculates the energy radiated through the surface of a large sphere, and gives the rate of radiated energy in terms of the acceleration and velocity at an arbitrary retarded time.