APPENDIX

THE DYNAMIC MACROSCOPIC SCALAR

POTENTIAL FUNCTION

DUE TO A VOLUME OF POLARIZED DIELECTRIC MATERIAL

CONSIDEH a charge pair (q, -q) within a macroscopic element dV of a specimen of

dielectric material, and imagine that their relative separation is d cos wt, with d the
maximum separation. Let the relative displacement be parallel to a direction characterized by a unit vector l z , and let the instantaneous position of q be Zl, the instantaneous
position of - q be Z2. With reference to Figure L.1, if q8(s 1 - Z1) ds 1 and - q8(r 2 - Z2) ds 2
are taken to be the distributions of the t\VO moving charges with 8 the Dirac delta
function, then the scalar potential at a distant point, due to this charge pair, is

in which the braces indicate that time-retarded values are to be used. If neither charge
makes a great excursion about its central point, so that r > IZII, r > IZ21, then
cI>(r,(},l) == _q [jet) 8eSl 47ro

== 47ro
~

Since ZI - Z2

==

eo

r -

(1

{z I} cos (} - t -

T -

jet) 8eS2 - {Z2}) d S2 J

T - S2 cos (}

{zd) dS l _

S1 cos (}

_ co

1)e

{z 2} cos

q cos (}
- - -2 ({ZI} - {Z2})
47ror

d cos wt, if d

X, as is usually the case, then

lzd - lzzl

dcosw(t

-~)

If p is defined as having a magnitude qd and a direction parallel to L; then

per
cI>(r,O,t) == -3 cos

47T"or

with

(r)
t- c

drawn from the oscillating dipole to the distant point.

(L.1)

548 The Dynami c Macro scopic Scalar Potential Function

APPENDIX

dl l

z,

FIGURE

L.l

Oscillating dipole.

This result is seen to be simila r to t he static case except t hat now th e dipole mom en t
is oscillatory at angular frequ ency wand retarded ti me must he used to dedu ce t he
scalar potential.
Upon letting P dV repr esent th e sum of th e dipol e mom ents du e to all t he cha rge
pairs within dV , on e may write
P (~, 11, L t - ~/ c) . ~ dV
(L.2)
cf> (x,Y ,Z,t)
[
41l"Eo~3

APPENDIX

in which

The Ihjnamic Macroscopic Scalar Potential Function

(~,l),n to

is drawn from

(x,Y,z). Since Vs

(t)

identity
VS'

[1~IJ

converts (L.2) to the form

ep(x,y,z,t)

f [{P}]

~IP}] +

= VS'

dS

47rE:O~

lIPI]' VS

~/~3,

47rE:O~

use of the vector

G)

J (-\'s [{PI])
v

549

dV

(L.3)

in which the divergence theorem has been used to obtain the first integral, and {P} is
the retarded value of P.
Equation (L.3) is seen to be similar to the static result (6.8) except that now P is
time-harmonic and retarded time must be used. This dynamic result is applicable at
interior points as well as exterior points. The proof follows the procedure used in Section
6.3 and requires that the radius of the sphere erected around an internal point be small
compared to a wavelength. This is normally a reasonable assumption.
Although the derivation just given is only applicable to electronic and ionic polarization, Equation (L.3) is also valid for orientational polarization. The proof of this assertion is left as an exercise.