Electrostatic Energy

EE 141 Lecture Notes

Topic 14
Professor K. E. Oughstun
School of Engineering
College of Engineering & Mathematical Sciences
University of Vermont
2009
Motivation
Potential Energy of a Static Charge Distribution
Whenever two charges q
a
and q
b
are brought within a distance R
ab
of
each other, work is expended against the Coulomb force [see Topic 1,
Eq. (3)] in consummating the process. Once the charges are in place,
the persistence of the Coulomb force makes the energy stored in the
electrostatic eld potentially available whenever demanded.
If it is assumed that the charges are moved slowly enough into place
(i.e. reversibly), then their kinetic energies may be neglected and any
loss due to electromagnetic radiation eects, signicant if rapid
charge accelerations occur, may be neglected.
Potential Energy of a Static Charge Distribution
Consider the energy stored in a xed conguration of n charges,
given by the work required to assemble the charge conguration.
Assume that all n charges q
1
, q
2
, . . . , q
n
are initially located at
innity in their zero potential state.
Upon bringing just q
1
from innity to its nal position P
1
, no work
is expended because no other charges are present.
The work done in bringing q
2
from innity to P
2
is given by
U
2
= q
2
V
(1)
2
= q
2
q
1
4
0
R
12
(1)
= q
1
V
(2)
1
= q
1
q
2
4
0
R
21
(2)
where V
(1)
2
denotes the electrostatic potential at P
2
due to the
charge q
1
at P
1
, and where V
(2)
1
denotes the electrostatic potential at
P
1
due to the charge q
2
at P
2
.
Potential Energy of a Static Charge Distribution
The work done in bringing a third charge q
3
in from innity to P
3
is then given by
U
3
= q
3
V
(1)
3
+ q
3
V
(2)
3
(3)
= q
1
V
(3)
1
+ q
2
V
(3)
2
, (4)
and so on for the remaining charges q
4
, q
5
, . . . , q
n
, noting that
q
k
V
(j )
k
= q
j
V
(k)
j
(5)
where V
(j )
k
denotes the electrostatic potential at P
k
due to the
charge q
j
at P
j
.
Potential Energy of a Static Charge Distribution
The total energy U
e
= U
1
+ U
2
+ + U
n
can be written in two
dierent ways: First by adding Eqs. (1), (3), etc., giving
U
e
= q
2
V
(1)
2
+q
3
V
(1)
3
+ q
3
V
(2)
3
+q
4
V
(1)
4
+ q
4
V
(2)
4
+ q
4
V
(3)
4
+ + q
n
V
(1)
n
+ q
n
V
(2)
n
+ + q
n
V
(n1)
N
, (6)
or by adding Eqs. (2), (4), etc., giving
U
e
= q
1
V
(2)
1
+q
1
V
(3)
1
+ q
2
V
(3)
2
+q
1
V
(4)
1
+ q
2
V
(4)
2
+ q
3
V
(4)
3
+ + q
1
V
(4)
1
+ q
2
V
(n)
2
+ + q
n1
V
(n)
N
. (7)
Potential Energy of a Static Charge Distribution
Adding Eqs. (6) and (7) together and dividing by 2 then yields the
more symmetric expression
U
e
=
1
2

q
1

V
(2)
1
+ V
(3)
1
+ V
(4)
1
+ + V
(n)
1

+q
2

V
(1)
2
+ V
(3)
2
+ V
(4)
2
+ + V
(n)
2

+q
3

V
(1)
3
+ V
(2)
3
+ V
(4)
3
+ + V
(n)
3

+ + q
n

V
(1)
n
+ V
(2)
n
+ V
(3)
n
+ + V
(n1)
n

.
Potential Energy of a Static Charge Distribution
The potential energy of the assembled charge conguration is then
given by
U
e
=
1
2
n

k=1
q
k
V
k
(8)
where
q
k
= charge of the k
th
particle located at P
k
,
V
k
= absolute potential at P
k
due to all of the charges except q
k
.
Notice that this expression does not include the self-energy of the
individual charges; this is the energy that would be liberated if each
charge was allowed to expand to an innite volume. As a
consequence, Eq. (8) identically vanishes for a single point charge.
Potential Energy of a Static Charge Distribution
For a continuous (macroscopic) volume charge distribution
v
(r), the
expression (8) for the electrostatic potential energy generalizes to
U
e
=
1
2

V

v
(r)V(r)d
3
r (9)
For a continuous (macroscopic) surface charge distribution
s
(r), the
expression (8) for the electrostatic potential energy generalizes to
U
e
=
1
2

S

s
(r)V(r)d
2
r (10)
For a continuous (macroscopic) line charge distribution

(r), the
expression (8) for the electrostatic potential energy generalizes to
U
e
=
1
2

(r)V(r)d (11)
Notice that these expressions include the self-energies of the charges.
Self-Energy of a Spherical Charge Distribution
For a uniform spherical charge distribution of charge Q and radius r
0
with charge density
v
= 3Q/(4r
3
0
) for r r
0
, the absolute
electrostatic potential inside the sphere is given by (see Topic 7)
V(r ) =
Q
8
0
r
3
0

r
2
0
r
2

+
Q
4
0
r
0
; r r
0
.
From Eq. (9), the self-energy of this spherical charge distribution is
U
se
=
1
2

2
0
d

0
sin d

r
0
0

v
(r )V(r )r
2
dr
=
3Q
2r
3
0

r
0
0

Q
8
0
r
3
0

r
2
0
r
2

+
Q
4
0
r
0

r
2
dr
=
3Q
2
20
0
r
0
as r
0
0 at xed Q > 0.
On the other hand,
U
se
=

v

0
r
2
0
0 as r
0
0 at xed
v
.
Electrostatic Energy
From Poissons equation

v
(r) =
2
V(r) (12)
at every point in the electrostatic eld in a material with dielectric
permittivity . Substitution of this expression in Eq. (9) then gives
U
e
=

2

V
V(r)
2
V(r)d
3
r , (13)
where V is any volume containing all of the charges in the system.
From Greens rst integral identity [see Eq. (40) of Topic 2]

V

2
+

d
3
r =

S
nd
2
r
with (r) = (r) = V(r), one obtains

V

V
2
V + (V)
2

d
3
r =

S
VV nd
2
r
.
Electrostatic Energy
With this substitution, the expression (13) for the electrostatic energy
becomes
U
e
=

S
VV nd
2
r

V
(V)
2
d
3
r

(14)
Note that:
1
because V can be any volume that contains all of the charges in
the system conguration, the boundary surface S may then be
chosen at an arbitrarily large distance from the charge
distribution;
2
because V(r) falls o at least as fast as 1/r as r , then
V(r) falls o at least as fast as 1/r
2
as r , and because
the surface area of S increases as r
2
in that limit, then the
surface integral appearing in Eq. (14) decreases at least as fast
as 1/r as r and can be made arbitrarily small by choosing
S suciently distant from the source charge distribution.
Electrostatic Energy
Because V(r) = E(r), the electrostatic energy is then given by
U
e
=

2

V
E
2
(r)d
3
r =
1
2

V
D(r) E(r)d
3
r (15)
where the volume V must now only be large enough to include all
regions where the electrostatic eld E(r) produced by the charge
distribution is nonzero. If this is not satised, then the electrostatic
energy is given by Eq. (13). Notice that this expression includes the
self-energies of all the charges in the system and is positive-denite,
whereas the expression given in Eq. (8) can be negative.
The integrand appearing in Eq. (15) is dened as the electrostatic
energy density
u
e
(r)
1
2
D(r) E(r) (J/m
3
) (16)
which is associated with the eld energy at each point in the eld.