[Physics] Deriving Biot-Savart Law from Maxwell’s Equations

electromagnetismhomework-and-exercisesmagnetic fieldsmagnetostaticsmaxwell-equations

As an exercise, I've been trying to derive the Biot-Savart law from the second set of Maxwell's equations for steady-state current

$$\begin{align}&\nabla\cdot\mathbf{B}=0&&\nabla\times\mathbf{B}=\mu_0\mathbf{J}\end{align}$$

I've been able to do this using the fact that an incompressible field has a vector potential $\mathbf{A}$, allowing me to rewrite the second equation as

$$\nabla^2\mathbf{A}=-\mu_0\mathbf{J}$$

which can be solved by components using the Green's function for the Laplacian, yielding

$$\mathbf{A}(\mathbf{x})=\frac{\mu_0}{4\pi}\int\frac{\mathbf{J}(\mathbf{x}')}{|\mathbf{x}-\mathbf{x}'|}\,d^{3}\mathbf{x}'$$

and since $\nabla\times\left(\psi\mathbf{J}\right)=\psi\nabla\times\mathbf{J}+\nabla\psi\times\mathbf{J}$,
$$\nabla\times\mathbf{A}=\mathbf{B}(\mathbf{x})=\frac{\mu_0}{4\pi}\int\frac{\mathbf{J}\times(\mathbf{x}-\mathbf{x}')}{|\mathbf{x}-\mathbf{x}'|^3}\,d^{3}\mathbf{x}'$$

as desired. However, if instead I take the curl of both sides of Ampere's Law, and use the identity $\nabla \times \left( \nabla \times \mathbf{B} \right) = \nabla(\nabla \cdot \mathbf{B}) – \nabla^{2}\mathbf{B}$ initially, I find that

$$\nabla(\nabla \cdot \mathbf{B}) – \nabla^{2}\mathbf{B}=0-\nabla^2\mathbf{B}=\mu_0\nabla\times\mathbf{J}$$

which I can again solve like Poisson's equation, yielding

$$\mathbf{B}(\mathbf{x})=-\frac{\mu_0}{4\pi}\int\frac{\nabla'\times\mathbf{J}(\mathbf{x}')}{|\mathbf{x}-\mathbf{x}'|}\,d^3\mathbf{x}'$$

which can be simplified using the identity $\psi(\nabla\times\mathbf{J})=-\nabla\psi\times\mathbf{J}+\nabla\times\left(\psi\mathbf{J}\right)$, giving

$$\mathbf{B}(\mathbf{x})=\frac{\mu_0}{4\pi}\int\frac{\mathbf{J}(\mathbf{x}')\times(\mathbf{x}-\mathbf{x}')}{|\mathbf{x}-\mathbf{x}'|^3}\,d^3\mathbf{x}'-\frac{\mu_0}{4\pi}\int\nabla'\times\left(\frac{\mathbf{J}(\mathbf{x}')}{|\mathbf{x}-\mathbf{x}'|}\right)\,d^3\mathbf{x}'$$

The first integral is precisely the Biot Savart law, but I have no idea how to make the second integral vanish. I've exhausted any obvious vector calculus identities, and Stokes theorem doesn't help much. I'm clearly missing an obvious mistake, but I haven't been able to locate it. This is similar to other questions that have been asked before, but I have a specific question about a step in the derivation which is not answered elsewhere.

Best Answer

As far as I can remember, the formula you obtain is right. You can make this "problematic" integral disappear by using the following identity, that we will call "curl theorem" :

$$\int\vec{\nabla}\times\vec{w}dV = -\int\vec{w}\times d\vec{S}$$

To show this is true, we are going to use the divergence or Green-Ostrogradski theorem, namely

$$\int\vec{\nabla}\cdot \vec{v}dV = \int \vec{v}\cdot d\vec{S}$$

Since the divergence theorem is a scalar identity while the curl theorem is a vector identity, we are going to need three distinct vector fields that we are going to denote $\vec{v}_i$. Now, we would want $\vec{\nabla}\cdot\vec{v}_i = (\vec{\nabla}\times\vec{w})_i$ to deduce an identity on the curl. Writing that in tensor notation :

$$\partial^k(v_i)_k=\epsilon_{ikl}\partial^k w^l$$

As we can see, it is sufficient to take $(\vec{v}_i)_k = \epsilon_{ikl}w^l$ and the relation will be satisfied. So, for such a vector field we have $\vec{\nabla}\cdot\vec{v}_i = (\vec{\nabla}\times\vec{w})_i$.

Applying the divergence theorem to $\vec{v}_i$ : $$\int(\vec{\nabla}\times\vec{w})_idV = \int\vec{\nabla}\cdot\vec{v}_idV = \int\vec{v_i}\cdot d\vec{S} = \int (v_i)_k(d\vec{S})^k = \int\epsilon_{ikl}w^l(d\vec{S})^k = -\int(\vec{w}\times d\vec{S})_i$$

Thus giving a proof of the "curl theorem". Using it on your problematic integral : $$-\frac{\mu_0}{4\pi}\int\nabla'\times\left(\frac{\mathbf{J}(\mathbf{x}')}{|\mathbf{x}-\mathbf{x}'|}\right)\,d^3\mathbf{x}' = -\frac{\mu_0}{4\pi}\int\left(\frac{\mathbf{J}(\mathbf{x}')}{|\mathbf{x}-\mathbf{x}'|}\right)\,\times d\vec{S}'$$

Now, the volume integral is done on all of space, and provided you suppose that $\lim_{x'\rightarrow\infty}\frac{\vec{J}(x')}{|x-x'|} = 0$, it gives a 0 contribution. Why does this not add any crazy assumptions ?

For this limit to be non-zero, we must necessarily have that $|J(x)|$ tend to infinity. Indeed, suppose $J(x)$ is finite. Then, there is a constant $C$ such that $|J(x)|<C$. Then, $lim_{x'\rightarrow\infty}\frac{|J(x')|}{|x-x'|}<\lim_{x'\rightarrow\infty}\frac{C}{|x-x'|} = 0$. Thus, if we were to have this "extra" integral not vanish, we would be required to have an infinite current density at infinity, which seems to be not so physical.

Of course, all my derivation where done in the context of well-behaved functions. It won't work say for an infinitely small wire, as the current density becomes a distribution (using the dirac delta $\delta(x)$). I am not qualified enough to tackle this case rigorously, but I hope the explanation above gives an idea to why setting this integral to 0 is sensible.