A2.5

Electromagnetism | Part II, 2001

(i) Write down the expression for the electrostatic potential ϕ(r)\phi(\mathbf{r}) due to a distribution of charge ρ(r)\rho(\mathbf{r}) contained in a volume VV. Perform the multipole expansion of ϕ(r)\phi(\mathbf{r}) taken only as far as the dipole term.

(ii) If the volume VV is the sphere ra|\mathbf{r}| \leqslant a and the charge distribution is given by

ρ(r)={r2cosθra0r>a\rho(\mathbf{r})= \begin{cases}r^{2} \cos \theta & r \leqslant a \\ 0 & r>a\end{cases}

where r,θr, \theta are spherical polar coordinates, calculate the charge and dipole moment. Hence deduce ϕ\phi as far as the dipole term.

Obtain an exact solution for r>ar>a by solving the boundary value problem using trial solutions of the forms

ϕ=Acosθr2 for r>a,\phi=\frac{A \cos \theta}{r^{2}} \text { for } r>a,

and

ϕ=Brcosθ+Cr4cosθ for r<a.\phi=B r \cos \theta+C r^{4} \cos \theta \text { for } r<a .

Show that the solution obtained from the multipole expansion is in fact exact for r>ar>a.

[You may use without proof the result

2(rkcosθ)=(k+2)(k1)rk2cosθ,kN.]\left.\nabla^{2}\left(r^{k} \cos \theta\right)=(k+2)(k-1) r^{k-2} \cos \theta, \quad k \in \mathbb{N} .\right]

Typos? Please submit corrections to this page on GitHub.