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Remembering the surface integrals, we suppose that a vectorial field $\mathbf{F}(\bar{r})$ let be of the form $$\mathbf{F}(\bar{r})=\frac{f(\theta,\varphi)}{r^3}\,\bar{r}$$ For the flux through $S$, when it is parametrized by a domain $D_{(\theta,\varphi)}=[0,\pi]\times [0,2\pi]$, we know that $$\int_{S}\mathbf{F}(\bar{r})\,\overline{da}=\iint_D f(\theta,\varphi) \sin \theta\, d\theta d\varphi=4\pi k_e q \tag 1$$

If $S$ is closed (but not enclosure the charge), where $$f(\theta,\varphi)=k_e q\,\frac{1-\beta^{2}}{\left[1-\beta^{2}\sin^2\theta\right]^{\tfrac{3}{2}}}$$

enter image description here

and the direction of the motion of the charge $q$ (supposing an horizontal direction) generate an angle $\theta_0$, the domain $D_{(\theta,\varphi)}$ is as $[0,\theta_0]\times[0,2\pi]$ (hence $0<\theta_0 <\pi$), $$\int_{S}\mathbf{F}(\bar{r})\,\overline{da}=\iint_{D} f(\theta,\varphi) \sin \theta\, d\theta d\varphi=\int_{0}^{2\pi}d\varphi\int_{0}^{\theta_0}f(\theta,\varphi) \sin \theta\, d\theta \color{red}{\neq 4\pi k_e q} \tag 2.$$

What are the possible physical considerations if the flux is different by $4\pi k_e q$ as into the formula $(2)$?

What happen in this situation?

Sebastiano
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  • Either $v=0$ or you can't use Gauss's Law because the inverse square law no longer holds - assuming the charges are moving at relativistic speeds inside a container. – Cinaed Simson Dec 26 '19 at 21:06
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    This is the electric field of a uniformely moving charge. See my answer here : Electric field associated with moving charge, equation (04). The flux for an angle $\phi$ therein (yours $\theta$ herein) is by integration given as $\Phi_{\rm EF}$ in equation (p-10). If you insert $\phi\boldsymbol{=}\pi$ you could verify Gauss Law as done in equation (p-15). – Frobenius Dec 26 '19 at 23:30
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    You must realize what the angle $\theta_0$ is. Then you'll note that you must integrate with respect to $\theta$ from $0$ to $\pi$ in order to close the surface. – Frobenius Dec 26 '19 at 23:42
  • On an other hand you forgot the term $r^2$ in the denominator of your integrand. – Frobenius Dec 27 '19 at 00:04
  • @Frobenius For the last comment: I have into my integrand function a mixed product $\bar r \cdot (\bar r_{\theta} \times \bar r_{\varphi})=r^3\sin \theta$. The $r^3$ to the numerator and $r^3$ to the denominator vanished. – Sebastiano Dec 27 '19 at 12:53
  • @Frobenius It is true that I must integrate respect to $\theta$ from $0$ and $\pi$. But if I suppose the $S$ is open the surface integral on $S$ is equal to $k_e q \Omega$, where $\Omega$ is the solid angle. – Sebastiano Dec 27 '19 at 12:56
  • Oh Yes, You are right about the 'forgotten' $r^2$ in the denominator. The fault is mine. As to the solid angle $\Omega$, I think that I would not be confused if I assert that a flux uniformly distributed (spherical symmetry) is in analogy to the solid angle. This is the case of a charge at rest. But here this is not that case. The charge is moving and we have rotational symmetry around the axis of motion, but not spherical symmetry. – Frobenius Dec 27 '19 at 13:21
  • @Frobenius Don't worry absolutely. It is true that I am scarce (a bad bad bad teacher of high school) :-)))) but this times I have written correct my formulas :-)))))). Every explanation in detail (as answer) is very very welcome. – Sebastiano Dec 27 '19 at 13:24

2 Answers2

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I don't know how you convinced yourself that the integral doesn't equal $4\pi$. It does. Just to make sure, I checked using the open-source computer algebra system Maxima:

maxima -q --batch-string="2*%pi*integrate(sin(x)*(1-beta^2)*(1-beta^2*sin(x)^2)^(-3/2),x,0,%pi);"

The result is $4\pi$:

                                              2
                                4 %pi (1 - beta )
(%o1)                         - -----------------
                                        2
                                    beta  - 1
  • Very kind Ben Crowell. In the meantime, thank you for your attention to me. My questions are often overlooked. I was referring (I have just edited my question) to (2) and it certainly cannot be $4\pi$ if there is that angle $\theta_0$. – Sebastiano Dec 26 '19 at 22:43
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    @Sebastiano: Gauss's law applies to a closed surface. To make the surface closed, you need $\theta_0=\pi$. –  Dec 26 '19 at 23:55
  • I agree totally with you. I want to understand only the eventual physics implications when $0<\theta_0<\pi$. What happen to the flux when is different from the quantity $4\pi k_e q$? – Sebastiano Dec 27 '19 at 12:45
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    What do you mean by “what happens to the flux”? When $\theta_0<\pi$, some of the total flux goes through your surface and some of it doesn’t. That’s all. – G. Smith Dec 27 '19 at 13:38
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    Gauss’ Law has to be valid under relativistic conditions because Maxwell’s Equations are relativistically covariant and one of them is equivalent to Gauss’ Law. – G. Smith Dec 27 '19 at 13:42
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    The interesting physics is that most of the flux occurs at angles near 90 degrees, because this is where the field is strong when the charge is moving fast. The field gets “pancaked” rather than being spherically symmetric. – G. Smith Dec 27 '19 at 13:45
  • @G.Smith Very kind user I prefer if is possible a complete and very nice answer with all your details on suppositions of what might happen for smaller angles $\theta_0$ or less of $\pi$. Peraphs my question it is not very interesting. – Sebastiano Dec 27 '19 at 21:45
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    @Sebastiano I’m traveling for several weeks and can’t provide an answer. I suggest that you plot $f(\theta)\sin(\theta)$ for $v$ near $c$ to see how the flux density is strongly peaked near $\theta=\pi/2$. – G. Smith Dec 28 '19 at 01:14
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    @Sebastiano I am still traveling, and you already have two perfectly fine answers. – G. Smith Jan 04 '20 at 12:34
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Reference : My answer here Electric field associated with moving charge


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As proved in my above referenced answer, the electric field of a point charge $\,q\,$ in uniform rectilinear motion is given by the following equation \begin{equation} \mathbf{E}\left(\mathbf{r}\right) \boldsymbol{=}\dfrac{q}{4\pi \epsilon_{0}}\dfrac{(1\boldsymbol{-}\beta^2)}{\left(1\!\boldsymbol{-}\!\beta^{2}\sin^{2}\!\theta\right)^{\frac32}}\dfrac{\mathbf{{r}}}{\:\:\Vert\mathbf{r}\Vert^{3}}\quad \text{(uniform rectilinear motion)} \tag{01}\label{01} \end{equation} as shown in Figure-01 (in all subsequent Figures we suppose, without loss of generality, that the charge is positive $\,q>0$). In this Figure for the constant velocity vector of the charge \begin{equation} \boldsymbol{\beta} \boldsymbol{=} \dfrac{\boldsymbol{\upsilon}}{c},\quad \beta\boldsymbol{=}\dfrac{\upsilon}{c}, \quad \boldsymbol{\dot{\beta}}\boldsymbol{=}\dfrac{\mathrm d\boldsymbol{\beta} }{\mathrm dt}\boldsymbol{=0} \tag{02}\label{02} \end{equation} The closed curve shown in Figure-01 is locus of constant electric field magnitude \begin{equation} \Vert\mathbf{E}\Vert \boldsymbol{=}\dfrac{\vert q \vert}{4\pi \epsilon_{0}}\dfrac{(1\boldsymbol{-}\beta^2)}{\left(1\!\boldsymbol{-}\!\beta^{2}\sin^{2}\!\theta\right)^{\frac32}r^{2}} \boldsymbol{=}\text{constant} \tag{03}\label{03} \end{equation} More exactly the set of points with this constant magnitude of the electric field is the surface generated by a half revolution of this closed curve around the $\;x\boldsymbol{-}$axis or a half revolution around the $\;y\boldsymbol{-}$axis.

enter image description here

In Figure-02 above it's shown the electric field on a circle, that is on the surface of a sphere generated by a half revolution of this circle around the $\;x\boldsymbol{-}$axis or the $\;y\boldsymbol{-}$axis. We note that the field is always normal to the spherical surface and get stronger as we approach directions normal to that of the motion of the charge.

enter image description here

In Figure-03 above it's shown the electric flux through the circular arc $\rm ABC$, that is through the spherical cap generated by a half revolution of this circular arc around the $\;x\boldsymbol{-}$axis. As proved in my referenced answer in the beginning, the electric flux is given by the following equation

\begin{equation} \Phi\left(\theta\right)\boldsymbol{=}\ \dfrac{q}{2\epsilon_{0}}\Biggl[1\boldsymbol{-}\dfrac{ \cos\theta}{\sqrt{\left(1\!\boldsymbol{-}\!\beta^{2}+\beta^{2} \cos^2\theta\right)\vphantom{\frac12}}}\Biggr] \tag{04}\label{04} \end{equation} For $\theta\boldsymbol{=}\pi$ we could verify Gauss Law \begin{equation} \Phi\left(\pi\right)\boldsymbol{=}\ \dfrac{q}{\epsilon_{0}} \tag{05}\label{05} \end{equation}

Now, note that the solid angle $\,\Omega\left(\theta\right)\,$ generated by a complete revolution of the plane angle $\,\theta\,$ around the $\;x\boldsymbol{-}$axis in Figure-03 is given by
\begin{equation} \Omega\left(\theta\right)\boldsymbol{=}2\pi\left(1\boldsymbol{-}\cos\theta\right) \tag{06}\label{06} \end{equation} We verify that $\,\Omega\left(0\right)\boldsymbol{=}0\:,\:\Omega\left(\pi/2\right)\boldsymbol{=}2\pi\:,\:\Omega\left(\pi\right)\boldsymbol{=}4\pi\:$ as expected.

From equations \eqref{04} and \eqref{06} we note that there doesn't exist analogy between the flux $\,\Phi\left(\theta\right)\,$ and the solid angle $\,\Omega\left(\theta\right)\,$ since
\begin{equation} \dfrac{\Phi\left(\theta\right)}{\Omega\left(\theta\right)}\boldsymbol{=} \dfrac{q}{4\pi\epsilon_{0}\left(1\boldsymbol{-}\cos\theta\right)}\Biggl[1\boldsymbol{-}\dfrac{ \cos\theta}{\sqrt{\left(1\!\boldsymbol{-}\!\beta^{2}+\beta^{2} \cos^2\theta\right)\vphantom{\frac12}}}\Biggr]\boldsymbol{\ne}\text{constant}\,, \qquad \left(\boldsymbol{\beta} \boldsymbol{\ne 0}\right) \tag{07}\label{07} \end{equation} This is due to the fact that there is no spherical symmetry as shown in Figure-02.

To the contrary, the flux $\,\Phi\left(\theta\right)\,$ is proportional to the solid angle $\,\Omega\left(\theta\right)\,$ in case of a charge at rest ($\boldsymbol{\beta} \boldsymbol{=0}$), since equation \eqref{07} for $\,\beta \boldsymbol{=}0\,$ yields \begin{equation} \dfrac{\Phi\left(\theta\right)}{\Omega\left(\theta\right)}\boldsymbol{=} \dfrac{q}{4\pi\epsilon_{0}}\boldsymbol{=}\text{constant}\,, \qquad \left(\boldsymbol{\beta} \boldsymbol{= 0}\right) \tag{08}\label{08} \end{equation}

Frobenius
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  • Impressive and extraordinary response. The figures are beautiful. But may I know how you draw them? I'm very curious. Thank you for your kindness and attention to me. – Sebastiano Dec 28 '19 at 16:39
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    @Sebastiano : The figures are produced with GeoGebra software. But best results you have if you try day by day to find the tools and techniques in order to use the capabilities of the program. For example there exist the tools 'trace on' and 'animation on' that make the production of Figures-02 and -03 a simple game. Don't think that I draw all these vectors one by one. – Frobenius Dec 28 '19 at 16:50
  • Someone voted our questions negative without any logical explanation. I apologize for my blood temper very high from a sicilian citizen (Italy) but I have no tolerance for the haters. – Sebastiano Dec 28 '19 at 16:55
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    @Sebastiano : Be calm. You must expect always that. Ignore them and post your questions and answers. – Frobenius Dec 28 '19 at 17:04