Jefimenko Made Easy: Electromagnetic Fields through Retardation

TL;DR

This paper simplifies Jefimenko's electrodynamics approach by replacing a complex wave equation form, making the derivation of electromagnetic fields more accessible for students and researchers.

Contribution

It introduces a simplified form of the wave equation in Jefimenko's framework, enhancing clarity and educational value.

Findings

Simplified the derivation of electromagnetic fields from charge and current distributions.

Made Jefimenko's methods more accessible through substitution of the wave equation form.

Facilitated understanding of electromagnetic field derivations for learners.

Abstract

Oleg D. Jefimenko's electrodynamics textbook is unique in its approaches to deriving the electric and magnetic fields of arbitrary charge and current distributions and of an arbitrarily moving point charge. However, an uncommon form of the inhomogeneous wave equation often poses difficulties for readers right from the beginning. In this paper, we substitute in a commonly used form, making his approaches readily accessible.