Direct method for calculating the bound four-momentum of a classical charge

Abstract

It is shown that the bound electromagnetic four-momentum of an arbitrarily moving classical charged particle as defined by Teitelboim can be evaluated in a direct way with the help of Stokes's theorem. The calculation is based on the observation that the nonradiative part of the energy-momentum tensor of a point charge may be written as the divergence of a tensor of a higher rank. By this method a considerable calculational simplification is achieved.