Dimensions and units in electrodynamics |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">Friedrich?W?HehlEmail author Yuri?N?Obukhov |
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Institution: | (1) Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität zu Köln, 50923 Köln, Germany;(2) Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211, USA;(3) Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität zu Köln, 50923 Köln, Germany;(4) Department of Theoretical Physics, Moscow State University, 117234 Moscow, Russia |
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Abstract: | We sketch the foundations of classical electrodynamics, in particular the transition that took place when Einstein, in 1915, succeeded to formulate general relativity. In 1916 Einstein demonstrated that, with a choice of suitable variables for the electromagnetic field, it is possible to put Maxwell s equation into a form that is covariant under general coordinate transformations. This unfolded, by basic contributions of Kottler, Cartan, van Dantzig, Schouten & Dorgelo, Toupin & Truesdell, and Post, to what one may call premetric classical electrodynamics. This framework will be described shortly. An analysis is given of the physical dimensions involved in electrodynamics and subsequently the question of units addressed. It will be pointed out that these results are untouched by the generalization of classical to quantum electrodynamics (QED). We compare critically our results with those of L.B. Okun which he had presented at a recent conference. |
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Keywords: | Classical electrodynamics General covariance Premetric electrodynamics Absolute and relative dimensions Units Vacuum resistance Speed of light Metrology |
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