Classical diamagnetism at large magnetic fields

Abstract

Many textbooks discuss the diamagnetic response of a ``classical atom'' to a small, adiabatically slowly applied magnetic field. Here we solve this problem for an arbitrarily large field. This gives a more satisfying justification for the assumptions made in the small field regime, explains the role of adiabaticity, identifies the symmetries persisting at large fields, and illustrates the range of applicability of the Larmor's theorem.

6 pages, 4 figures