Mid-Term Exam: Graduate Electromagnetics I, 95.

657
Fall 2008, UMass Lowell, Dr. Baird
This in-class examination lasts 80 minutes. No calculators, electronic devices, books or notes allowed.
The later problems become increasingly harder and are correspondingly worth more points. It is in
your interest to leave more time for the later problems than for the first few.
PROBLEM 1. Consider two conducting planes that are joined at one end to form a deep corner.
(a) What is the general behavior of the surface charge distribution for varying corner angles and why?
(Explain conceptually, no numbers required.)
SOLUTION:
Near the corner, the charge on one plane is very close to the charge on the other plane and they
experience a strong repulsion. Farther from the corner, the charges on the plane are farther apart
and do not exert as much force. As a result, most of the charge is repulsed away from the
corner. As the corner angle becomes smaller, the charge is more strongly repulsed away from
the corner.
(b) As the corner angle becomes zero, what is the behavior of the surface-charge density, the electric
field and the electrostatic potential energy density inside the deep corner?
SOLUTION:
As the corner angle becomes zero, the surface-charge becomes completely repulsed out of the
deep corner. There is no charge and therefore no electric field in the deep corner. Because of the
definition, w = (
0
/2)|E|
2
, the electrostatic potential energy density also becomes zero.
Physically, when the corner angle is zero, the deep corner is gone and there is only a solid mass
of conducting material. This is one way to show that the charges, fields, and energy density in a
conductor are zero.
(c) Considering the previous parts, plot the surface charge density and electric field lines corresponding
to the top of the periodic conducting object shown here. This object extends uniformly out of the page.
SOLUTION:
. . .
. . .

= 0
. . .
. . .
E
PROBLEM 2. Two concentric spherical shells are centered at the origin. The inner sphere has radius a
and the outer sphere has radius b so that b > a. The inner sphere is held at zero potential, and the outer
sphere is held at a potential V (0 ,) . What is the potential everywhere between the two spheres?
SOLUTION:
We use the general solution to the Laplace equation in spherical coordinates when a valid
solution is required on the full azimuthal sweep and full polar sweep:
1(r ,0 ,)=

l =0

m=l
l
( A
l , m
r
l
+B
l ,m
r
l1
)Y
lm
(0, )
We cannot eliminate A
l
or B
l
because we do not seek a valid solution at the origin or at infinity.
Apply the boundary condition 1(r=a)=0
0=

l =0

m=l
l
( A
l ,m
a
l
+B
l , m
a
l1
) Y
lm
(0, )
This must hold for all values of the independent variables so that the the coefficient of each sum
must vanish separately.
B
l , m
=A
l , m
a
2l+1
The solution now becomes:
1(r ,0 ,)=

l =0

m=l
l
A
l ,m
|(
r
a
)
l

(
a
r
)
l +1

Y
lm
(0, )
Apply the boundary condition 1(r=b)=V (0 ,)
V (0,)=

l =0

m=l
l
A
l , m
|(
b
a
)
l

(
a
b
)
l +1

Y
lm
(0, )
Multiply both sides by Y
l ' m'
*
(0, ) and integrate over the surface of the sphere:

0
2n

0
n
V (0,)Y
l ' m'
*
(0, )sin 0d 0d =

l=0

m=l
l
A
l , m
|(
b
a
)
l

(
a
b
)
l+1

0
2n

0
n
Y
l ' m'
*
Y
lm
sin 0d 0d
Use the orthogonality of the spherical harmonics to pick out one term from the sum:

0
2n

0
n
Y
l ' m'
*
(0, ) Y
l m
(0, )sin 0d 0d =6
l 'l
6
m' m
A
l , m
=
|(
b
a
)
l

(
a
b
)
l+1

0
2n

0
n
V (0, )Y
l m
*
(0, )sin0d 0d
The final solution is then
1(r ,0 ,)=

l =0

m=l
l
A
l ,m
|(
r
a
)
l

(
a
r
)
l +1

Y
lm
(0, ) where
A
l , m
=
|(
b
a
)
l

(
a
b
)
l+1

0
2n

0
n
V (0, )Y
l m
*
(0, )sin0d 0d
PROBLEM 3. A region of charge-free space is bounded by a cylindrical surface of radius a and height
L centered at the origin with the bottom face lying in the x-y plane. The surface has zero potential
everywhere except the bottom face which is held at the potential V ( j, ) . We wish to find the
electric potential everywhere inside the cylinder.
(a) How many boundary conditions are there on the electric potential and why? (including those that
are not traditionally stated explicitly)
SOLUTION:
There are six boundary conditions because there are three independent dimensions (r , , z)
and the Laplace equation, which the electric potential obeys, is a second-order differential
equation. Solving a second-order differential equation in three independent variables creates six
integration constants that can only be uniquely determined by applying six boundary conditions.
(b) What are all of the boundary conditions?
SOLUTION:
Min. boundary condition: 1(j=0)=finite
Max. boundary condition: 1(j=a)=0
Min. boundary condition: 1(=0)=1(=2n)
Max. boundary condition: 1(=2n)=1(=0)
Min. z boundary condition: 1( z=0)=V (j ,)
Max. z boundary condition: 1( z=L)=0
(c) What is the solution to the electric potential after all of the boundary conditions are applied except
the one involving V ( j, ) ?
SOLUTION:
1(j, , z)=

m

n
J
m
(
x
mn
j
a
)
(C
m ,n
e
i m
+D
m ,n
e
i m
) sinh
(
x
mn
a
( zL)
)
where x
m1
is the first root of the Bessel function,
0=J
m
( x)
, x
m2
is the second root, etc.
(d) What does the application of the last boundary condition look like? (Do not solve anything. Simply
show the application of the last boundary condition to the solution of part c.)
SOLUTION:
V (j, )=

m

n
J
m
(
x
mn
j
a
)
(C
m, n
e
i m
+D
m,n
e
i m
) sinh
(
x
mn
a
L
)
(e) Explain in detail in words (no mathematics) how you would solve the rest of the problem.
SOLUTION:
Multiply both sides of the equation by a negative complex exponential and integrate. Use the
orthogonality of complex exponentials to pick out a specific term from the sum over m.
Multiply both sides of the equation by times a Bessel function and integrate. Use the
orthogonality of Bessel functions to pick out a specific term from the sum over n. We can now
solve for the coefficients C
m,n
. Repeat the process, but instead start by multiplying both sides of
the equation by a positive complex exponential and solve for the coefficients D
m,n
.
PROBLEM 4. Consider a sphere of radius a centered at the origin with the electric potential V (0)
on its surface, and a ring of radius b outside the sphere (b > a) lying in the x-y plane, charged uniformly
such that its total charge is Q. We wish to find the force that the ring feels for a certain V (0) .
(a) We approach the problem using the Green function method. State the equivalent problem and the
equations to be solved in order to find the appropriate Green function. Explain in words how the
equivalent problem would be solved but do not carry out the mathematical derivation.
SOLUTION:
The boundary condition provided is a Dirichlet boundary condition, so that we must solve for
the Dirichlet Green function. The Dirichlet Green function must vanish on the boundary and be
equal to the potential of a unit charge plus another potential:
G
D
=0
on the sphere's surface,
G
D
=
1
xx '
+F (x , x ')
where '
2
F( x , x' )=0
This is equivalent to using the Laplace equation to find the potential of a unit charge at some
point x' external to a conducting sphere of radius a. This is solved by placing an image charge
inside the sphere, removing the sphere, and stating the potential as the sum of the potential of
the two point charges. Then apply the fact that the potential must vanish at the location of the
sphere's surface to determine all remaining constants.
(b) What is the charge density j( r ' , 0' ,' ) of the ring?
SOLUTION:
j( r ' , 0' , ' )=
Q
2nb
2
6(r 'b)6(cos 0' )
(c) Assuming we had solved part (a) and had the explicit form of the Green function for this problem,
write the solution to the electric potential outside the sphere. (Simplify the solution as much as is
possible and be as explicit as possible, except do not replace G
D
with its explicit form.)
SOLUTION:
1(x)=
1
4nc
0

j(x ') G
D
d
3
x'
1
4n

(
1
d G
D
d n'
)
da '
1(x)=
1
4nc
0

j(x ') G
D
d
3
x'
1
4n

(
1
d G
D
d n'
)
da '
1(x)=
1
4nc
0
Q
2n

0
2n
G
D
(r ' =b ,0'=n/ 2) d '+
a
2
4n

0
2n

0
n
V (0)
|
d G
D
d r '

r '=a
sin0' d 0' d '
(d) Assuming we had done the integrals for a specific boundary condition V() and found the solution
to the potential to be
1=(Qsin 0)/ (r c
0
)
. What is the electric field of this potential in spherical
coordinates?
SOLUTION:
E=1
In spherical coordinates:
E=
|
r
1
r
+

0
1
r
1
0
+

1
r sin 0
1

E( r ,0)=
Q
c
0
|
r
((sin 0)/ r)
r
+

0
1
r
((sin0)/ r)
0

E( r ,0)=
Q
c
0
r
2
| r sin 0

0cos 0
(e) What is the force on the ring if the potential is
1=(Qsin 0)/ (r c
0
)
?
SOLUTION:
F=q E for a point charge
d F=dq E for an infinitesimal piece of a charge distribution
F=

V
Edq
F=

V
E
dq
d x
d x
F=

V
E(x) j(x)d x
F=

0
2n

0
n

E( r , 0)
|
Q
2nb
2
6( r 'b) 6(cos0')

b
2
sin0' d 0' d '
F=QE(r=b , 0=n/ 2)
F=
Q
2
c
0
b
2
r
PROBLEM 5. A grounded spherical shell of radius b is centered at the origin. Inside the sphere there
is a point charge q at z = a and another point charge -q at z = -a. We wish to find the electric potential
everywhere inside the sphere.
(a) First solve for the potential in the absence of the grounded sphere. Write out the potential in
spherical coordinates in terms of Legendre Polynomials.
SOLUTION:
The charge distribution consists of only two point charges. Using Coulomb's law for a point
charge, we can immediately write down the potential:
1(r)=
q
4nc
0
1
ra( z)

q
4nc
0
1
ra( z)
This problem has azimuthal symmetry, so we can expand each point potential into a series of
ordinary Legendre polynomials using:
1
rr
0

l =0

l
r
>
l +1
P
l
(cos 0)
1(r)=
q
4nc
0

l =0

l
r
>
l+1
P
l
(cos0)
q
4nc
0

l=0

l
r
>
l+1
P
l
(cos 0)
where r
>
(r
<
) is the greater (smaller) of the two variables r and a.
We can use the identity P
l
(x)=(1)
l
P
l
( x) and combine the terms:
1(r)=
q
4nc
0

l =0

l
r
>
l+1
| 1(1)
l
P
l
(cos 0)
1(r)=
2q
4nc
0

l =1, odd

l
r
>
l+1
P
l
(cos0)
(b) The addition of the the grounded sphere into the problem can be thought of as adding an extra
potential to the potential due to the charges in order to make the boundary condition hold true. Add to
the potential due to the charges (found above) the general solution for the potential inside a sphere.
Then apply the boundary condition to determine the coefficients and find the final solution.
SOLUTION:
1(r)=

l
A
l
r
l
P
l
(cos0)+
2q
4nc
0

l =1, odd

l
r
>
l +1
P
l
(cos 0)
Apply the boundary condition 1(r=b)=0
0=

l
A
l
b
l
P
l
( cos0)+
2q
4nc
0

l=1, odd

a
l
b
l +1
P
l
( cos0)
0=A
l
b
l
+
2q
4nc
0
a
l
b
l +1
and
A
l
=0
for l = even
A
l
=
2q
4nc
0
a
l
b
2l+1
1(r)=
2q
4nc
0

l =1, odd

|
b
l
a
l +1

a
l
b
l+1

(
r
b
)
l
P
l
(cos0) if r < a
1(r)=
2q
4nc
0

l =1, odd

|
b
l
r
l+1

r
l
b
l +1

(
a
b
)
l
P
l
(cos 0) if r > a
[END OF EXAM]