An alternative derivation of the equation of motion of a charged point particle from Hamilton’s principle is presented. The variational principle is restated as a Bolza problem of optimal control, the control variable u i , i = 0, …, 3, being the 4-velocity. The trajectory \( {\overline{x}}^i \) (s) i and 4-velocity ū i (s) of the particle is an optimal pair, i.e., it furnishes an extremum to the action integral. The pair ( \( \overline{x} \), ū) satisfies a set of necessary conditions known as the maximum principle. Because of the path dependence of proper time s, we are concerned with a control problem with a free end point in the space of coordinates (s, x 0 , …, x 3 ). To obtain the equation of motion, the transversality condition must be satisfied at the free end point.
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Published in Astrofizika, Vol. 58, No. 2, pp. 263-268 (May 2015).
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Krikorian, R.A. Note on the Derivation of the Equation of Motion of a Charged Point-Particle from Hamilton's Principle. Astrophysics 58, 244–249 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10511-015-9379-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10511-015-9379-4