Dipoles at rest

• Published in: American journal of physics Vol. 60; no. 11; pp. 979 - 987
• Main Author: Griffiths, David J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-11-1992
• Subjects: 661300 - Other Aspects of Physical Science- (1992-); ANGULAR MOMENTUM; CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; CURRENTS; DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS; DIPOLES; ELECTRIC CHARGES; ELECTRIC CURRENTS; ELECTRIC DIPOLES; ELEMENTARY PARTICLES; ENERGY; EQUATIONS; LINEAR MOMENTUM; MAGNETIC DIPOLES; MAGNETIC MONOPOLES; MAXWELL EQUATIONS; MONOPOLES; MULTIPOLES; PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS; POSTULATED PARTICLES; POTENTIALS; TORQUE; LINEAR MOMENTUM; ANGULAR MOMENTUM; ENERGY; ELECTRIC DIPOLES; ELECTRIC CHARGES; MAGNETIC MONOPOLES; MAXWELL EQUATIONS; ELECTRIC CURRENTS; POTENTIALS; MAGNETIC DIPOLES; TORQUE
• ISSN: 0002-9505; 1943-2909
• DOI: 10.1119/1.17001

In a world populated by magnetic monopoles (as well as ordinary electric charges), there are two kinds of electric dipoles: those due to separated electric charges, and those due to current loops of magnetic charge. Similarly, there are two kinds of magnetic dipoles: those due to separated magnetic monopoles, and those due to electric current loops. This paper derives the potentials and fields of each of the four dipole species, and calculates the force, torque, energy, momentum, and angular momentum of each type, when placed (at rest) in a static external field (which may itself be produced by electric charges and currents, magnetic charges and currents, or all of these). Some implications and applications of the various results are discussed.