Reciprocity Theory of Electrodynamics

Abstract

IN our previous communications in Nature¹, we have given an account of the bearing of the principle of reciprocity on the theory of elementary particles, with particular reference to the determination of the natural rest masses. Attention has now been given to the application of this general theory to electrons and electromagnetic field. The orthodox theory cannot be regarded as satisfactory, on account of the well-known divergence difficulties, recently reexamined by Schwinger, who had considerably developed the pioneer work of Weisskopf and Dirac² in a covariant way. These difficulties can be removed either by introducing non-linearity in the radiation field, in the way attempted by Born and Infeld³, or by preserving the linearity but introducing high derivatives of the field variables, as has been done effectively by Podolsky⁴ and Bopp⁵.