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ρ(x0 )
Z
2 2 1 3 0
∇ Φa (x) = ∇ p dx
4π0 (x − x0 )2 + a2
Z
1 0 1
= ρ(x )∇ √2
d 3 x0
4π0 r 2 + a2
3a2
Z
1 0
= − ρ(x ) d 3 x0 ,
4π0 (r2 + a2 )5/2
With a Taylor series expansion of the well-behaved ρ(x0 ) around x0 = x, one finds
1 R 3a2 r2 2
Z
2
∇ Φa (x) = − 2 2 5/2
ρ(x) + ∇ ρ + · · · r2 dr + O(a2 )
0 0 (r + a ) 6
These last two equations are a mystery to me. In the first of them, how did he get the alleged
”Taylor series expansion” within the square brackets? As you can look up on Wolfram Mathworld,
the Taylor series in vector form is
∞
X 1 j 0
f (r + a) = (a · ∇r0 ) f (r ) .
j=0
j! r0 =r
I don’t see the connection between this formula and the expansion of ρ(x0 ) in the square brackets.
I also don’t see how he got the second equation given the first. For one thing, what does
O(a2 , a2 log a) mean?
I should probably mention, as Jackson does, that
Z 2π Z π Z ∞
3a2
2 + a2 )5/2
r2 dr sin θdθdφ = 4π.
0 0 0 (r