Write down the expressions for a general, time-dependent electric field E and magnetic field B in terms of a vector potential A and scalar potential ϕ. What is meant by a gauge transformation of A and ϕ ? Show that E and B are unchanged under a gauge transformation.
A plane electromagnetic wave has vector and scalar potentials
A(x,t)ϕ(x,t)=A0ei(k⋅x−ωt)=ϕ0ei(k⋅x−ωt)
where A0 and ϕ0 are constants. Show that (A0,ϕ0) can be modified to (A0+μk,ϕ0+μω) by a gauge transformation. What choice of μ leads to the modified A(x,t) satisfying the Coulomb gauge condition ∇⋅A=0 ?