On the radiation reaction force

Abstract

The radiation self-force of a point charge is obtained in a mathematically exact way in the framework of Distribution theory: the world line and the electromagnetic field of a point charge are treated as Distributions; the energy-momentum tensor of the point charge is too singular, but applying a known method (which I call pole taming), we can consider it a Distribution; the divergence of the pole tamed energy-momentum tensor is the force density Distribution from which we can read off the radiation reaction force in its usual form. It is pointed out to that this does not call forth that the spacetime motion of a point charge obeys the Lorentz--Abraham--Dirac equation.