THE LIENARD–WIECHERT POTENTIAL OF CHARGED SCALAR PARTICLES AND THEIR RELATION TO SCALAR ELECTRODYNAMICS IN THE REST-FRAME INSTANT FORM

Abstract

After a summary of a recently proposed new type of instant form of dynamics (the Wigner-covariant rest-frame instant form), the reduced Hamilton equations in the covariant rest-frame Coulomb gauge for the isolated system of N scalar particles with pseudoclassical Grassmann-valued electric charges plus the electromagnetic field are studied. The Lienard–Wiechert potentials of the particles are evaluated and it is shown how the causality problems of the Abraham–Lorentz–Dirac equation are solved at the pseudoclassical level. Then, the covariant rest-frame description of scalar electrodynamics is given. Applying to it the Feshbach–Villars formalism, the connection with the particle plus electromagnetic field system is found.