Riemann–Silberstein vector
In mathematical physics, in particular electromagnetism, the Riemann–Silberstein vector or Weber vector named after Bernhard Riemann, Heinrich Martin Weber and Ludwik Silberstein, (or sometimes ambiguously called the "electromagnetic field") is a complex vector that combines the electric field E and the magnetic field B. History Heinrich Martin Weber published the fourth edition of "The partial differential equations of mathematical physics according to Riemann's lectures" in two volumes (1900 and 1901). However, Weber pointed out in the preface of the first volume (1900) that this fourth edition was completely rewritten based on his own lectures, not Riemann's, and that the reference to "Riemann's lectures" only remained in the title because the overall concept remained the same and that he continued the work in Riemann's spirit. In the second volume (1901, §138, p. 348), Weber demonstrated how to consolidate Maxwell’s equations using . The real and imaginary components of the equation are an interpretation of Maxwell’s equations without charges or currents. It was independently rediscovered and further developed by Ludwik Silberstein in 1907. Definition Given an electric field E and a magnetic field B defined on a common region of spacetime, the Riemann–Silberstein vector is where is the speed of light, with