Four-current

In special and general relativity, the four-current (technically the four-current density) is the four-dimensional analogue of the electric current density. Also known as vector current, it is used in the geometric context of "four-dimensional spacetime", rather than three-dimensional space and time separately. Mathematically it is a four-vector, and is Lorentz covariant.
Analogously, it is possible to have any form of "current density", meaning the flow of a quantity per unit time per unit area. see current density for more on this quantity.
This article uses the summation convention for indices. See covariance and contravariance of vectors for background on raised and lowered indices, and raising and lowering indices on how to switch between them.
Definition.
Using the Minkowski metric formula_1 of metric signature , the four-current components are given by:
where "c" is the speed of light, "ρ" is the charge density, and j the conventional current density. The dummy index "α" labels the spacetime dimensions.
Motion of charges in spacetime.
This can also be expressed in terms of the four-velocity by the equation:
where:
Qualitatively, the change in charge density (charge per unit volume) is due to the contracted volume of charge due to Lorentz contraction.
Physical interpretation.
Charges (free or as a distribution) at rest will appear to remain at the same spatial position for some interval of time (as long as they're stationary). When they do move, this corresponds to changes in position, therefore the charges have velocity, and the motion of charge constitutes an electric current. This means that charge density is related to time, while current density is related to space.
The four-current unifies charge density (related to electricity) and current density (related to magnetism) in one electromagnetic entity.
Continuity equation.
In special relativity, the statement of charge conservation is that the Lorentz invariant divergence of "J" is zero:
where formula_7 is the four-gradient. This is the continuity equation.
In general relativity, the continuity equation is written as:
where the semi-colon represents a covariant derivative.
Maxwell's equations.
The four-current appears in two equivalent formulations of Maxwell's equations, in terms of the four-potential when lorenz gauge condition is fulfilled:
where formula_10 is the D'Alembert operator, or the electromagnetic field tensor:
where "μ"0 is the permeability of free space and ∇"β" is the covariant derivative.
General relativity.
In general relativity, the four-current is defined as the divergence of the electromagnetic displacement, defined as
then
Quantum field theory.
The four-current density of charge is an essential component of the Lagrangian density used in quantum electrodynamics. In 1956 Gershtein and Zeldovich considered the conserved vector current (CVC) hypothesis for electroweak interactions.