Abstract

The classical relativistic theory is developed of electric and magnetic fields in terms of boost and rotation generators, respectively, of the Lorentz group of space-time. This development shows that Minkowski geometry requires that there be threestates of polarization of radiation in free space. The magnetic components in a circular basis are right and left circular and longitudinal. The longitudinal component is real and physical, and proportional to one of the three, nonzero, rotation generators of the Lorentz group. The longitudinal electric component is pure imaginary, and proportional to one of the three boost generators. These theoretical arguments conform with experimental data from the Planck radiation law and from magnetic effects of light such as the inverse Faraday effect