Problem set – 3 (PYL - 100) Prof. B. K.

Mani
1. A coaxial cable consists of two very long cylindrical tubes, separated by linear
insulating material of magnetic susceptibility χm. A current I flows down the inner
conductor and returns along the outer one; in each case the current distributes itself
uniformly over the surface. Find the magnetic field in the region between the tubes.
As a check, calculate the magnetization and the bound currents, and confirm that
(together, of course, with the free currents) they generate the corrected field.

2. A current I flows down a long straight wire of radius a. If the wire is made of linear
material (copper, say, or aluminum) with susceptibility χm, and the current is
distributed uniformly, what is the magnetic field a distance s from the axis? Find all
the bound currents. What is the net bound current flowing down the wire?
3. Write down the (real) electric and magnetic fields for a monochromatic plane wave
of amplitude E0, frequency ω, and phase angle zero that is (a) traveling in the negative
x direction and polarized in the z direction; (b) traveling in the direction from the
origin to the point (1,1,1), with polarization parallel to the x z plane. In each case,
sketch the wave, and give the explicit Cartesian components of k and 𝒏 ̂.
4. In the complex notation there is a clever device for finding the time average of a
product. Suppose f (r, t) = A cos (k . r – ωt + δa) and g (r, t) = B cos (k . r – ωt + δb).
1
Show that ⟨𝑓𝑔⟩ = ( ) Re (𝑓̃𝑔̃ ∗), where the star denotes complex conjugation.
2