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- Title
Ludvig Lorenz and His Non-Maxwellian Electrical Theory of Light.
- Authors
Kragh, Helge
- Abstract
Maxwell’s celebrated electromagnetic theory of light dates from 1865. Two years later, without appealing to the ether as a carrier of light waves, the Danish physicist Ludvig Lorenz (1829-1891) independently published another electrical theory of light based on optical equations and the novel idea of retarded potentials. In spite of resting on a very different conceptual foundation, Lorenz’s theory led to almost the same results as Maxwell’s. But whereas Maxwell’s field theory heralded a revolution in physics, Lorenz’s alternative was largely forgotten and soon relegated to a footnote in the history of physics. In part based on archival material and other sources in Danish, this paper offers a detailed contextual account of Lorentz’s theory and its reception in the physics community. Moreover, it includes a brief introduction to other of Lorenz’s scientific contributions and discusses the reasons why his electrical theory of light failed to attract serious interest.
- Subjects
ELECTROMAGNETIC theory of light; ELECTROMAGNETIC theory; MAXWELL equations; ELECTROMAGNETISM; SIGNAL theory
- Publication
Physics in Perspective, 2018, Vol 20, Issue 3, p221
- ISSN
1422-6944
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00016-018-0223-1