Waves in Bopp-Landé-Thomas-Podolsky generalized electrodynamics

We investigate the feasibility of probing Bopp-Landé-Thomas-Podolsky generalized electrodynamics with traveling and standing wave experiments. We consider wave propagation in vacuum and in a cold and non-magnetized plasma. Dispersion relations are found for all possible transverse and longitudinal modes. Longitudinal traveling waves are found which exhibit negative group velocities.

💡 Research Summary

The paper investigates wave propagation in the Bopp‑Landé‑Thomas‑Podolsky (BLTP) generalized electrodynamics, both in vacuum and in a cold, non‑magnetized plasma. The BLTP theory modifies the vacuum constitutive relations by adding higher‑derivative terms: D = E − l²□E and H = B − l²□B, where l is the Bopp length (a new fundamental constant with dimensions of length) and □ is the d’Alembert operator. When l→0 the standard Maxwell equations are recovered; for finite l the field energy of a point charge becomes finite.

Starting from the source‑free Maxwell equations, the authors assume plane‑harmonic fields **E(r,t)=Re