LECTURE 11 slide 1

Lecture 11

Perfect Conductors, Boundary
Conditions, Method of Images
Sections: 5.4, 5.5
Homework: See homework file
LECTURE 11 slide 2
Perfect Conductors 1
metals such as Cu, Ag, Al are closely approximated by the
concept of a perfect electric conductor (PEC)
charge relaxation is instantaneous
charge is distributed in an infinitesimally thin layer on the
surface of the conductor
inside the conductor there is no charge (excess of electrons) due
to Coulomb repulsion
, 0 o t
0 = E
ext
E
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( 0) Q =
0
s
>
isolated conductor in external field
0
v
=
0
s
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0
V
0
v
=
0 = E
0
s
>
0
s
>
biased (charged) conductor
( 0) Q >
LECTURE 11 slide 3
Perfect Conductors 2
underlying principle: charge arranges on surface so that resultant E
field inside is zero; otherwise charge will keep moving until E = 0
remember: E field is zero in the volume of a perfect conductor
consequence: perfect conductors are equipotential and so are their
surfaces
0
proof: 0
B
AB A B
A
V d V V = = =
}
E L
(A and B belong to the volume or the surface of the conductor)
LECTURE 11 slide 4
Shielding by Conducting Shell (Faraday Cage)
in a cavity of a conductor E = 0 if there are no free charges inside
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I
ext
E
0 = E
0
v
=
0 = E
( 0) Q=
isolated conducting shell in external field
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0
V
I
biased (charged) conducting shell
( 0) Q>
0 = E
0 = E
0
v
=
proof: take any closed contour passing part through the cavity
and part through the shell, apply the conservative property of E
shell cavity
0
0 0 d d d
I I I
= + = =
} } }
E L E L E L E
Is there any charge on the inner surface of the cavity?
LECTURE 11 slide 5
Boundary Conditions at PEC Surface
tangential components
PEC is equipotential
0
t
= E
normal components
0
t
= D

N N
s N
D

=
=
D a
a 0
lim
N s s
h
S
d D S Q S
A
= A = = A
}}
D s
2
, C/m
N s
D = /
N s
E c =
0 = D
interface surface
PEC
N N
E = E a
0 =
compare with D of planar charge: / 2
N s
= D a
LECTURE 11 slide 6
Boundary Conditions at PEC Surface Examples
Voltage V
0
= 100 V is applied to a coaxial cable whose inner wire
has radius a = 1 mm and whose outer shield has radius b = 4 mm.
The insulator is air ( =
0
). (a) Find E as a function of the distance
from the center of the inner wire. (b) Find the surface charge
densities at the inner wire and at the outer shield.
Homework:
Voltage V
0
= 100 V is applied to a pair of concentric spheres. The
smaller sphere has radius a = 1 mm and the larger sphere has radius
b = 4 mm. The insulator between the two is air ( =
0
). (a) Find E
as a function of the distance r from the center of the spheres. (b)
Find the charge densities at the surfaces of the two spheres.
LECTURE 11 slide 7
The Equation of Electrostatics
( )
v v
c V = V = D E
in a uniform medium with sources (Poisson equation)
2
/
v
V c V =
v
V c V V =
in a uniform source-free medium (Laplace equation)
2
0 V V =
uniqueness theorem for the Poisson/Laplace equation
if the following is given
either V or V/n at the boundary of the analyzed region
(boundary conditions), and
all charge density in the analyzed region (source conditions)
then the Poisson equation has one and only one solution
LECTURE 11 slide 8
Method of Images 1
consider the two electrostatic problems
Q Q
'
=
0
b
V =
h
+
Q
h

0
b
V =
Q
ground
h
+
source and BC are the same if analyzed region is upper hemi-sphere
the field solution in the upper hemi-sphere identical in both cases
we say that the two problems are equivalent
LECTURE 11 slide 9
Method of Images 2
point charge at two orthogonal ground planes
Q
1
h
2
h
0
b
V =
0
b
V
=
Q
2
h
2
h
Q
1
h
1
h
Q
Q
2
h
2
h
1
h
1
h
0
b
V
=
0
b
V =
LECTURE 11 slide 10
Method of Images 3
point charge at two ground planes at an angle /n, n is integer
/ 3 t
Q
0
b
V =
0
b
V
=
/ 3 t
Q
Q
0
b
V
=
0
b
V =
a total of (2n 1) images required to build the equivalent problem
Example: n = 3
if n is not integer, exactly-equivalent problem does not exist
LECTURE 11 slide 11
You have learned:
that the electric field is zero inside a perfect conductor
the tangential E field is zero on the surface of a conductor
the potential is constant everywhere inside and on a perfect
conductor, i.e., the voltage between any two points is zero
a closed conducting shell shields the inside volume from external
electric fields
the normal D component is exactly equal to the surface charge
density at the conductors surface
how the method of images can simplify solutions involving
infinite PEC planes at an angle of /n where n is integer through
the superposition principle