Biot-Savart law

The Biot-Savart Law is an equation in electromagnetism that describes the magnetic field vector B in terms
of the magnitude and direction of the source electric current, the distance from the source electric current,
and the magnetic permeability weighting factor.

The significance of the Biot-Savart Law is that it is an inverse square law solution to Ampère's Law. It is
also a solution to the vorticity equation curl A = B, i.e., A can be regarded as the magnetic vector potential of
B. It therefore provides the B field solution to Maxwell's equations much as the Lorentz force provides the E
field solution.

1. Introduction
The Biot-Savart law and the Lorentz force are fundamental to electromagnetism just as Coulomb's law is
fundamental to electrostatics.

In particular, if differential element of current is defined as

then the corresponding differential element of magnetic field is

where

, where μ0 is the magnetic constant

is the current, measured in amperes
is the differential length vector of the current element
is the unit displacement vector from the current element to the field point and
is the distance from the current element to the field point.

Alternatively, differential element of current can be defined as

and the corresponding differential element of magnetic field will be

where

is the current density vector and

is the differential element of volume.

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 2. Forms
a. General

In the magnetostatic approximation, the magnetic field can be determined if the current density j is known:

where

is the unit vector in the direction of r.

= is the differential element of volume.

b. Constant uniform current

In the special case of a constant, uniform current I, the magnetic field B is

c. Point charge at constant velocity

In the special case of a charged point particle moving at a constant, non-relativistic velocity , then the
magnetic field is[1]:

This equation is also sometimes called the Biot-Savart law, due to its closely analogous form to the
"standard" Biot-Savart law given above.

d. Microscopic Scale

On the microscopic scale, the Biot-Savart law becomes,

where the solution to is the Coulomb force, and where,

and hence,

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 3. Magnetic responses applications
The Biot-Savart law can be used in the calculation of magnetic responses even at the atomic or molecular
level, e.g. chemical shieldings or magnetic susceptibilities, provided that the current density can be obtained

4. Aerodynamics applications
The figure shows the velocity induced at a point P (dV) by a vortex filament of strength Γ.

The Biot-Savart law is also used to calculate the velocity induced by vortex lines in aerodynamic theory.

In the aerodynamic application, the roles of vorticity and current are reversed as when compared to the
magnetic application.

In Maxwell's 1861 paper 'On Physical Lines of Force', magnetic field strength was directly equated with
pure vorticity (spin), whereas was a weighted vorticity that was weighted for the density of the vortex sea.
Maxwell considered magnetic permeability μ to be a measure of the density of the vortex sea. Hence the
relationship,

(1) Magnetic Induction Current

was essentially a rotational analogy to the linear electric current relationship,

(2) Electric Convection Current

where ρ is electric charge density. was seen as a kind of magnetic current of vortices aligned in their axial
planes, with being the circumferential velocity of the vortices.

The electric current equation can be viewed as a convective current of electric charge that involves linear
motion. By analogy, the magnetic equation is an inductive current involving spin. There is no linear motion
in the inductive current along the direction of the vector. The magnetic inductive current represents lines
of force. In particular, it represents lines of inverse square law force.

In aerodynamics the induced air currents are forming solenoidal rings around a vortex axis that is playing the
role that electric current plays in magnetism. This puts the air currents of aerodynamics into the equivalent
role of the magnetic induction vector in electromagnetism.

In electromagnetism the lines form solenoidal rings around the source electric current, whereas in
aerodynamics, the air currents form solenoidal rings around the source vortex axis.

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Hence in electromagnetism, the vortex plays the role of 'effect' whereas in aerodynamics, the vortex plays the
role of 'cause'. Yet when we look at the lines in isolation, we see exactly the aerodynamic scenario in so
much as that is the vortex axis and is the circumferential velocity as in Maxwell's 1861 paper.

For a vortex line of infinite length, the induced velocity at a point is given by

where

Γ is the strength of the vortex

d is the perpendicular distance between the point and the vortex line.

This is a limiting case of the formula for vortex segments of finite length:

where A and B are the (signed) angles between the line and the two ends of the segment.

References

 Griffiths, David J. (1998). Introduction to Electrodynamics, 3rd ed., Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-
805326-X.