A Concise Introduction to Classical and Relativistic Electrodynamics

This textbook introduces students to the fascinating world of electromagnetic phenomena, allowing them to better understand the world around us, in which electricity and electromagnetic waves play a fundamental role. It explores classical and relativistic electrodynamics, focusing on macroscopic electrodynamics, with some elements of microscopic theory. Beginning with Maxwell's equations and their physical foundations, the book develops the theory of electromagnetic fields in vacuum and material media before exploring their profound connection to special relativity. Chapters cover electrostatics, magnetostatics, quasi-stationary phenomena, electromagnetic waves, and radiation theory, combining physical insight with mathematical precision. Topics such as waveguides, polarization, antennas, Cherenkov radiation, and Maxwell's stress tensor are presented alongside practical methods for solving boundary-value problems. A comprehensive mathematical supplement equips readers with the vector, tensor, and analytical techniques needed throughout the book. Designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate physics students, in addition to nuclear and engineering students at technical universities, this volume offers a concise yet comprehensive pathway from the fundamentals of classical electromagnetism to its most important applications. Key features: A simple, yet not overly simplistic, exposition: requiring only some basic knowledge of higher mathematics, experimental physics, and elements of theoretical mechanics. A continuous narrative, with subsequent topics following fluidly from the previous ones. Class tested, with all examples and exercises solved and explained in detail.