Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Department of Physics

Physics 8.07 Fall 2005

Problem Set 4 Solutions

Problem 1: Conducting Sphere in a Gradient Field

a) As shown in Griffiths Problem 3.45,
pi r̂i Qij r̂i r̂j
Vind (~x) = + .
4π0 r2 8π0 r3

b) The external electric field Ei = Ci + Dij xj corresponds to a potential

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Vext (~x ) = −Ci xi − Dij xi xj .
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(Differentiating this gives Ei = −∂i V provided Dij = Dji . If Dij 6= Dji ,
~ ×E
∇ ~ 6= 0, which is forbidden in electrostatics.) The total potential is
V = Vext + Vind . Requiring V to vanish at r = R gives
pi = 4π0 R3 Ci , Qij = 4π0 R5 Dij .

c) Using the results of part (b), the total potential for r > R may be written
R3 R5
! !
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V (~x ) = −Ci r̂i r− 2 − Dij r̂i r̂j r2 − 3 .
r 2 r
~ ] = −0 (∂V /∂r)(R, θ) (with r̂i being held fixed during ∂/∂r
Using σ = 0 [r̂ · E
because r̂i depends on angles but not on radius) now gives
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σ(r̂) = 30 Ci r̂i + 0 RDij r̂i r̂j .
2
Noting that Ci r̂i = C cos θ where C = |C ~ | and θ is the angle between r̂ and
~ =E
C ~ 0 , the first term agrees with Griffiths eq. (3.77).

d) For V = − 21 Dij xi xj the Poisson equation gives

~ ·E
∇ ~ = −Dii = −ρ/0 .

A potential with Dii 6= 0 is created by a uniform charge density ρ = 0 Dii .

This is certainly incompatible with a conducting sphere for r < R, but in
principle a uniform charge density could exist in some volume.

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 Figure 1: Electric field lines for the quadrupole of problem 1(e).

e) The electric field created by one line charge at ~s0 ≡ (x0 , y0 ) is

~ = λ(~s − ~s0 )
E
2π0 |~s − ~s0 |2

where ~s ≡ (x, y). For ~s0 = (0, d), to first order in ~x/d,

~ = λ(x, y − d)
E
2π0 (x2
+ y 2 − 2dy + d2 )
λ(x, y − d)
≈
2π0 d2 (1 − 2y/d)
λ(x, y − d)(1 + 2y/d)
≈
2π0 d2
λ(x, −y − d)
≈ .
2π0 d2
Superposing the four contributions as mentioned in the problem set gives

~ ≈ 2λ(x, −y)
E
π0 d2
corresponding to
2λ
Dxx (0) = −Dyy (0) = .
π0 d2
The field lines are shown in the figure above.

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Problem 2: Molecular Dipoles
a) Griffiths p. 163 gives p = 6.1 × 10−30 C−m for water, and the Boltzmann
constant is k = 1.38 × 10−23 J/K. Room temperature is T ≈ 300 K, and with
E = 106 V/m, we get

pE (6.1 × 10−30 )(106 )

a= = = 1.5 × 10−3 .
kT (1.38 × 10 )(300)
−23

The average dipole moment is

pa 1
 
hpz i = 1 + a2 + · · · ≈ 4.9 × 10−4 p .
3 15

~ with α = 4π0 (d/2)3 and a bond length d = 1.1 × 10−10 m, we

b) Using p~ = αE
get
1.35 × 10−28 J
U = αE 2 = = 0.84 × 10−9 eV
1.602 × 10−19 J/eV
This is far less than the ionization energy (14.5 eV for atomic nitrogen) and
far less than electronic excitation energies. Nitrogen cannot be ionized by
this electric field. Instead, any free charges in the atmosphere (such as those
liberated by cosmic rays, very energetic particles from space) get accelerated
in the electric field, thereby acquiring enough kinetic energy to collisionally
ionize more molecules, liberating more charge, leading to an avalanche. Ex-
periments have shown that cosmic ray showers can initiate lighting strikes!

Problem 3: Griffths Problems 4.10 (p. 169) and 4.11 (p. 179)
a) In Problem 4.10, P~ = k~x = kr~er within a sphere of radius R implying
σb = P~ · ~er = kR and ρb = −∇ ~ · P~ = −3k. We thus have a uniformly charged
sphere surrounded by a thin charged spherical shell. The electric field inside
the sphere is E ~ = ρb~x/(30 ) = −k~x/0 = −P~ /0 . By Gauss’s law, the field
outside the sphere vanishes, since the total charge is (4π/3)ρb R3 +4πR2 σb = 0.

b) In Problem 4.11, ∇~ · P~ = 0 inside the cylinder while σb = ±P (with opposite

bound charges at the two ends of the cylinder). The result is like a dipole (if
L  a) or capacitor (if L  a); see the figure above for a qualitative sketch
of the fields. In the case L  a, the electric field inside the capacitor has
magnitude E = σb /0 = P/0 and points opposite to P~ , so E ~ = −P~ /0 .

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 (i) (ii) (iii)

Figure 2: Electric field lines for Problem 3(b). The polarization is uniform
and vertical between the bound charges (red and blue blobs).

c) Griffiths eq. (4.18) is E~ in = −P~ /(30 ). It gives the average field inside a
sphere due to all the charges within that sphere, assuming that the sphere
is small enough so that P~ does not vary significantly over its volume. In
part (a), the result was E ~ = −P~ /0 but P~ = kr~er varies significantly. If
a small sphere were made about the origin, the mean polarization vanishes,
so Griffiths eq. (4.18) correctly yields E ~ = 0 at that point. It isn’t useful
elsewhere, though. As for the cylinder in part (b), although P~ is uniform,
it is not spherically symmetric, implying that the field produced by charges
outside a small sphere cannot be neglected, so E ~ 6= E
~ in . In general, Griffiths
eq. (4.18) is not very useful and it should not be used to estimate the electric
field produced by polarization.

Problem 4: Displacement Field

a) From Griffiths Example 4.2,
−P/(30 )~ez , r<R,

~ =
E 3 3
P R /(30 r )(2~er cos θ + ~eθ sin θ) , r > R .
Combining this with a uniform P~ = P~ez = P (~er cos θ − ~eθ sin θ) inside the
sphere, we get
(2P/3)(~er cos θ − ~eθ sin θ) , r<R,

~ =
D 3 3
(P R )/(3r )(2~er cos θ + ~eθ sin θ) , r > R .
It is easy to see that [Dr ] = 0 at r = R (no free surface charge) while
[Dθ ] = P sin θ = [P~ · ~eθ ] where [A] ≡ lim→0 [A(R + ) − A(R − )].

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 (a) (c)

Figure 3: Displacement field lines for Problem 4; the polarized material is

colored yellow. The displacement field vanishes in part (b) so only (a) and (c)
are shown. Note that in the absence of free charges the displacement fields
form closed loops.

b) For the radially polarized sphere (Griffiths Problem 4.10), E ~ = −P~ /0 inside
the sphere and E~ = 0 outside. Since P~ is zero outside the sphere, we conclude
~ = 0 everywhere. This is consistent with [Dr ] = 0 and [Dθ ] = [Pθ ] = 0 at
D
r = R.

c) For the bar electret in the shape of a capacitor with wide plates, E~ = −P~ /0
in the interior of the capacitor while E~ → 0 away from the capacitor where
P~ = 0. Thus, D ~ ≈ 0 away from the region of the fringing fields, consistent
with the boundary conditions [Dn ] = [Dt ] = 0 across the capacitor plates.
Without an exact expression for D ~ it is impossible to test these conditions
at the sides of the capacitor where the fringing field is present, however the
absence of free surface charge implies that the normal component of D ~ is
continuous while the tangential component is discontinuous due to the bound
charge.

d) Sketches of the D-field lines are shown in the figure on the next page. In
no case can D ~ be written as the gradient of a potential, unless one counts
~ = 0 of part (b). Note that while D-field
the trivial case D ~ lines can only
begin and end on free charges, they can also make closed loops (unlike static
~ fields). These close loops are associated with changes in the polarization
E
vector because ∇~ ×D~ =∇ ~ × P~ .

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Problem 5: Griffths Problem 4.18 (p. 184)
Neglecting the fringing fields, we know from Problem 4(c) that the induced polarization
causes no displacement field in a parallel plate capacitor. Thus, for this case, the only
~ is the free charges.
source for D

a) From Gauss’s law for the displacement field, D

H
~ · d~a = R ρf d3 x. The only
free charges are on the top and bottom plates, with surface charge density
±σf . Since ∇~ ×D ~ = 0 if we neglect the fringing field, D
~ ≈ −σf ~ez in both
slabs 1 and 2, where ~ez points normally from slab 2 into slab 1.

b) The electric field in a linear dielectric follows from the constitutive relation
~ = D/(κ
E ~ 0 ) where κ is the dielectric constant. We’re given κ1 = 2 and
~ 1 = −(σf /20 )~ez and E
κ2 = 1.5 so E ~ 2 = −(2σf /30 )~ez .

c) We have P~ = D
~ − 0 E
~ = D(1
~ − 1/κ) yielding P~1 = 1 D
2
~ and P~2 = 1 D.
3
~

d) The electric field is uniform in each slab of thickness a, so ∆V = (E1 +E2 )a =

(7/6)(aσf /0 ).

e) The bound charge density at surfaces is σb = P~ · ~n. At the top of slab 1,

~n = ~ez so σb = − 21 σf . At the bottom of slab 1, σb = + 21 σf . At the top of
slab 2, σb = − 13 σf and at the bottom of slab 2, σb = + 31 σf .
~ = −−1
f) The electric field in slab 1 is E ez where σb = − 21 σf is the
0 (σf + σb )~
bound charge at the top of slab 1. Thus, E ~ = −(σf /20 )~ez in slab 1. In
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slab 2, we use σb = − 3 σf , the bound charge at the top of slab 2 to get
~ = −(2/3)(σf /0 )~ez in slab 2. These results agree with part (b).
E