Electromagnetic Bodies for Continuous Electromagnetic Fields*

This poster presents a discussion of the intrinsic mass and properties of charged bodies without invoking strong forces, the Dirac equation, point particles, extra dimensions, or probability densities.  Electrodynamics has been formulated as a field theory rather than as a particle and field theory. Electromagnetic fields are taken to be continuous everywhere. Maxwell’s equations are assumed to be valid always, and second order calculus of variations is used to obtain fundamental equations from a covariant action in which the usual term involving particle mass m has been replaced by a term involving an integral over the covariant mass density µ associated with the fields. These equations yield

 • A covariant equation of motion for a charged body’s center of inertia (COI), provided the momentum of the system balances.

• Mass density for a body interacting with its environment consists of three parts: an interaction mass given (as usual) by the Dirac or Schrodinger equation, an intrinsic mass co-located with the body’s charge, and an extrinsic (dark) mass (obeying Maxwell’s equations) outside the charged region.

Examples of stable charged bodies comprising charged densities of one sign and maintained by electromagnetic interactions will be given.