Physics 505, Classical Electrodynamics

Homework 3
Due Thursday, 30th September 2004
Jacob Lewis Bourjaily

2.12 We are to obtain the potential inside a cylinder of radius b in the form of Poisson’s integral by
solving the general solution of the two-dimensional potential.
Because we are considering the interior of the cylinder, there should no ρ−1 terms in the
series expansion. Therefore, the potential inside will be given by
X∞
ϕ(ρ, φ) = α0 /2 + αn ρn cos(nφ) + βn ρn sin(nφ),
n=1
where the coefficients αm and βm are to be determined. Notice that we have chosen
to work both sine and cosine terms in the series to avoid worrying about the phase
terms.
Proceeding almost canonically, we see that
Z 2π Z 2π
1 0 0 0 1
αn = n ϕ(b, φ ) cos(nφ )dφ , and βn = n ϕ(b, φ0 ) sin(nφ0 )dφ0 .
πb 0 πb 0
Notice that the above expression for αn includes the case where n = 0.
Using these expressions above in our general series, we can proceed by direct computation
Z 2π X ∞ µ Z 2π Z 2π ¶
1 0 0 1 n 0 0 0 1 n 0 0 0
ϕ(ρ, φ) = ϕ(b, φ )dφ + ρ cos(nφ) ϕ(b, φ ) cos(nφ )dφ + n ρ sin(nφ) ϕ(b, φ ) sin(nφ )dφ ,
2π 0 n=1
πbn 0 πb 0
Z ( )
1 X ³ ρ ´n
∞
1 2π
= ϕ(b, φ) + (sin(nφ) sin(nφ ) + cos(nφ) cos(nφ )) dφ0 ,
0 0
π 0 2 n=1 b
Z ( )
1 X ³ ρ ´n
∞
1 2π
= ϕ(b, φ) + cos(n(φ − φ )) dφ0 ,
0
π 0 2 n=1 b
Z 2π ( ∞ ³ ´n ³
)
1 X ρ 0 0
´
= ϕ(b, φ) 1 + ein(φ−φ ) + e−in(φ−φ ) dφ0 ,
2π 0 n=1
b
Z 2π ½ ¾
1 1 1
= ϕ(b, φ) + − 1 dφ0 ,
2π 0 1 − ρb ei(φ−φ0 ) 1 − ρb e−i(φ−φ0 )
 ³ ´³ ´
Z 2π  1 − ρ −i(φ−φ0 )
e + 1 − ρ i(φ−φ0 )
e − 1 − ρ i(φ−φ0 )
e 1 − ρ −i(φ−φ0 ) 
e
1 b b b b
= ϕ(b, φ) ¡ ¢¡ ¢ dφ0 ,
2π 0  1 − ρb ei(φ−φ0 ) 1 − ρb e−i(φ−φ0 ) 
 ³ ´ 2
³ ´
Z 2π 0 0
 2 − ρb ei(φ−φ ) + e−i(φ−φ ) − 1 − ρb2 + ρb ei(φ−φ ) + e−i(φ−φ ) 
0 0

1
= ϕ(b, φ) 2 ¡ ¢ dφ0 ,
2π 0  1 + ρb2 − ρb ei(φ−φ0 ) + e−i(φ−φ0 ) 
Z 2π ( 2 )
1 1 − ρb2
= ϕ(b, φ) 2 dφ0 ,
2π 0 1 + ρb2 − 2 ρb cos(φ − φ0 )
Z 2π ½ ¾
1 b2 − ρ2
= ϕ(b, φ) 2 dφ0 ,
2π 0 b + ρ2 − 2ρb cos(φ − φ0 )
Z 2π ½ ¾
1 b 2 − ρ2
∴ ϕ(ρ, φ) = ϕ(b, φ) 2 dφ0
2π 0 b + ρ2 − 2ρb cos(φ − φ0 )
‘ ’
óπ²ρ ²́δ²ι δ²ιξαι