| Motivated by their prospects as the true independent variables of the electromagnetic field, a relativistic generalization of the Debye potentials from the example of the classical Debye potentials: scalarization, generation and mediation. The electromagnetic field is reduced to scalar companions. The electromagnetic field is generated from scalar potentials. And the companions are related to the potentials by a mediation operator. The most general possible realization of this scheme has been definitively characterized.; In contrast to the classical case which appeals in part because all the above aspects are (rotational) scalar processes, it is found that in the general case none of them can be relativistic scalars. This initial disappointment, consequently, argues for a change in viewpoint as to what is possible and really essential. It suggests that other considerations, such as orthogonality (that the two potentials generate disjoint parts of the field), uniqueness (that the two companions fully characterize the entire field), the physical meaning (in terms of electric and magnetic multipoles) and means for useful application should be the primary guide to further development. |
