Module II

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Supplementary Lecture: Point Particle with interactions

1.
Show that in the relativistic case, unlike in the nonrelativistic case, the acceleration of a point
particle (of mass m) is not necessarily in the direction of the impressed force (i.e., the second part
of the second law of motion of Newton does not hold in relativity). Consider the relativistic motion
of a point particle of mass m under a constant force F . Then show that the velocity does not
increase continually if this constant force motion continues eternally.

Solution: The relativistic version of Newton’s second law is

d
(γ m v) = F . (1)
dt
Working out the LHS we get,
dv dγ
γm + mv = F
dt dt
or,
dv dv
γm + γ3 v · mv = F
dt dt
or, denoting the acceleration, a = dv/dt we get,

γ m a + γ 3 (v · a) m v = F .

Evidently, the force is not parallel to acceleration due to the presence of the second term in
LHS which is proportional/parallel to the velocity (unless the velocity is also parallel to the
acceleration v ∥ a).
Assuming F to be constant in the relativistic Newton’s second law (1) we obtain,
d
(γ m v) = F
dt
or,
γ m v = F t + γ0 v 0 m,
where v 0 is a initial velocity 3-vector, v (t = 0) = v 0 (constant of integration) and γ0 =
√ 1 2 . Rearranging,
1−v 0
v F
p = t + v0 (2)
1 − v 2 /c2 m
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1
 or, squaring both sides and adding 1 to both sides,
 2
1 F v0
= t+ +1
1 − v 2 /c2 mc c
or, s 2
1 F v0
p = t+ + 1.
1 − v 2 /c2 mc c
Plugging this back in (2), we obtain,
F
m
t + v0
v(t) = q . (3)
F v0 2


mc
t + c
+ 1

Note that if this constant force motion continues eternally, the velocity does not increase
continually. Instead as t → ∞,
F
t
lim v = mF
= c.
t→∞
mc
t

2.
From the variation of the action of a charged point particle
Z Z
q
q
µ
I[x] = −m c dλ −ẋ (λ)ẋµ (λ) + dλ Aµ (x(λ))ẋµ (λ)
c
find the equation of motion for the point charge electromagnetic field.

Solution: The direct variation leads to,

ẋµ δ ẋµ q
Z Z  
∂Aµ ν µ µ
δI = mc dλ √ + dλ δx ẋ + Aµ δ ẋ ,
−ẋ2 c ∂xν
Z   µ   µ  
d ẋ δxµ d ẋ
= mc dλ √ − √ δxµ
dλ −ẋ2 dλ −ẋ2
Z  
q ∂Aµ ν µ d µ dAµ (x(λ)) µ
+ dλ δx ẋ + (Aµ δx ) − δx ,
c ∂xν dλ dλ
λf
ẋµ δxµ q

µ
= mc √ + Aµ δx
−ẋ2 c λi
Z  
µ duµ q ∂Aν ν q dAµ (x(λ))
− dλ δx m − ẋ + .
dλ c ∂xµ c dλ

The end points are fixed, i.e., δxµ (λf ) = δxµ (λi ) = 0, so the boundary term vanishes. We
have also used the definition of the relativistic 4-velocity uµ in the last line.

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The vanishing of the (first-order) variation of the action for arbitrary δxµ then implies the
equation of motion:
duµ q ∂Aν ν q dAµ (x(λ))
m − ẋ + = 0.
dλ c ∂xµ c dλ
Now recall that:
∂Aν dAµ (x(λ)) ∂Aµ dxν
= ∂µ Aν , = = ∂ν Aµ ẋν .
∂xµ dλ ∂xν dλ
Substituting, the equation becomes:
duµ q
m = (∂µ Aν − ∂ν Aµ ) ẋν ,
dλ c
q
= Fµν ẋν
c
where Fµν = ∂µ Aν − ∂ν Aµ is the electromagnetic field strength tensor.