Vector potential

In vector calculus, a vector potential is a vector field whose curl is a given vector field. This is analogous to a scalar potential, which is a scalar field whose gradient is a given vector field.

This article is about the general concept in the mathematical theory of vector fields. For the vector potential in electromagnetism, see Magnetic vector potential. For the vector potential in fluid mechanics, see Stream function.

Formally, given a vector field v, a vector potential is a vector field A such that

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.