The retarded potential of a non-homogeneous wave equation: introductory analysis through Green functions

The retarded potential, a solution of the non-homogeneous wave equation, is a subject of particular interest in many physics and engineering applications. Examples of such applications may be the problem of solving the wave equation involved in the emission and reception of a signal in a synthetic aperture radar (SAR), scattering and backscattering, and general electrodynamics for media free of magnetic charges. However, the construction of this potential solution is based on the theory of distributions, a topic that requires special care and time to be understood with mathematical rigor. Thus, the goal of this study is to provide an introductory analysis, with a medium level of formalism, on the construction of this potential solution and the handling of Green functions represented by sequences of well-behaved approximating functions.