Infinite self energy?

TL;DR

This work challenges the traditional claim of infinite electromagnetic self-energy for point charges by arguing that electrons are point particles with no self energy. It emphasizes the necessity of separating a charge's own field from the external field (using $\phi_{\rm other}$ and $E_{\rm other}$) and shows that naive continuum limits or field-energy derivations lead to spurious divergences. By analyzing discrete Coulomb energies and the proper treatment of the 'other' field, the paper asserts that there is no infinite self-energy for a point charge in either discrete or continuous models. The result reframes classical electrostatics, suggesting that electrons can be modeled as point-like with zero EM self-energy, and critiques standard textbook derivations that produce divergences.

Abstract

The notion of an infinite electromagnetic self energy of point charges (presumably electrons) is accepted by many electromagnetic textbooks. See, for instance,\cite{jdj,dg,rf}. However, each of these sources acknowledge that they don't understand that result. In this paper, we show that electrons must be point particles with no electromagnetic self energy.