Solutions to Problems in Jackson,

Classical Electrodynamics, Third Edition

Homer Reid
August 6, 2000

Chapter 3: Problems 19-27

Problem 3.19

Consider a point charge q between two infinite parallel conducting planes held at
zero potential. Let the planes be located at z = 0 and z = L in a cylindrical
coordinate system, with the charge on the z axis at z = z0 , 0 < z0 < L. Use
Green’s reciprocation theorem of Problem 1.12 with Problem 3.18 as the comparison
problem.

(a) Show that the amount of induced charge on the plate at z = L inside a circle
of radius a whose center is on the z axis is given by
q
QL (a) = − Φ(z0 , 0)
V

(b) Show that the induced charge density on the upper plate can be written as
Z ∞
q sinh(kz0 )
σ(ρ) = − dk kJ0 (kρ)
2π 0 sinh(kL)

(c) Show that the charge density at ρ = 0 is

−πq  πz 
0
σ(0) = 2
sec2
8L 2L

(a) Green’s reciprocation theorem says that

Z Z Z Z
ρ0 Φ dV + σ 0 Φ dA = ρΦ0 dV + σΦ0 dA. (1)
V S V S

1
Homer Reid’s Solutions to Jackson Problems: Chapter 3 2

We’ll use the unprimed symbols to refer to the quantities of Problem 3.18,
and the primed symbols to refer to those of Problem 3.19. Then

ρ(r, z) = 0
σ(r, z) =?
Φ(r, z) = 0, z=0
= 0, z = L and r > a
= V, z = L and r < a
∞
sinh(kz)
Z
=V dk aJ1 (ak)J0 (rk) 0<z<L
0 sinh(kL)

ρ0 (r, z) = qδ(r)δ(z − z0 )
σ 0 (r, z) =?
Φ0 (r, z) = 0, z = 0 or z = L
=?, 0≤z≤L

Plugging into (1),

Z ∞
sinh(kz0 )
Z
qV dk aJ1 (ak) +V σ 0 (r, z) dA = 0
0 sinh(kL) z=L,r<a

so
∞
sinh(kz0 ) q
Z Z
σ 0 (r, z) dA = −q dk aJ1 (ak) = − Φ(z0 , 0) (2)
z=L,r<a 0 sinh(kL) V
The integral on the left is just the total surface charge contained within a circle
of radius a around the origin of the plane z = L.
(b) The integrand on the left of (2) doesn’t depend on φ, so we can do the
angular part of the integral right away to give
Z a Z ∞
sinh(kz0 )
2π σ 0 (r, L)r dr = −q dk aJ1 (ak)
0 0 sinh(kL)
Differentiating both sides with respect to a, we have
Z ∞
∂ sinh(kz0 )
2πaσ 0 (a, L) = −q dk [aJ1 (ak)] (3)
0 ∂a sinh(kL)
where I’ve blithely assumed that the partial derivative can be passed through
the integral sign. The partial derivative is
 
∂ ∂ 
[aJ1 (ak)] =  [xJ1 (x)]

∂a ∂x x=ak
= |J1 (x) + xJ10 (x)|x=ak
= |xJ0 (x)|x=ak = akJ0 (ak)
Homer Reid’s Solutions to Jackson Problems: Chapter 3 3

so (3) becomes
∞
q sinh(kz0 )
Z
0
σ (a, L) = − dk kJ0 (ak) (4)
2π 0 sinh(kL)

(c) At a = 0, (4) becomes

∞
−q sinh(kz0 )
Z
σ 0 (0, L) = k .
2π 0 sinh(kL)

I have no idea how to do this integral.

Problem 3.22

The geometry of a two-dimensional potential problem is defined in polar coordinates

by the surfaces φ = 0, φ = β, and ρ = a, as indicated in the sketch.
Using separation of variables in polar coordinates, show the the Green function can
be written as
!
∞ mπ/β    
0 0
X 1 mπ/β 1 ρ> mπφ mπφ0
G(ρ, φ; ρ , φ ) = − ρ< mπ/β
− sin sin
m=1
mπ ρ> a2mπ/β β β

Problem 2.25 may be of use.

As before, the procedure for determining the Green’s function is to split the
region of interest into two parts (one on each ’side’ of the observation point), find
separate solutions of the Laplace equation that satisfy the boundary conditions
in each region, and then join the two solutions at the source point such that
their values match up but the first derivative (in whichever dimension we chose
’sides’) has a finite discontinuity.
Suppose the observation point is (ρ, φ). Let’s break the region into two
subregions, defined by 0 ≤ ρ0 ≤ ρ and ρ ≤ ρ0 ≤ a. The general solution of the
Laplace equation in two-dimensional polar coordinates is

Φ(ρ0 , φ0 ) =A0 + B0 ln ρ0
X
+ ρ0n [An sin nφ0 + Bn cos nφ0 ] + ρ0−n [Cn sin nφ0 + Dn cos nφ0 ].
n

The solution in the first region must be admissible down to ρ0 = 0, which

excludes the ln term and the negative powers of ρ. However, these terms may
be included in the solution for the second region. In both regions, the solution
must vanish at φ = 0, which excludes the cos terms (i.e. Bn = Dn = 0). The
solution must also vanish at φ = β, which requires that n = mπ/β, m = 1, 2, · · · .
With these considerations we may write down the solutions for G in the two
regions:
Homer Reid’s Solutions to Jackson Problems: Chapter 3 4

G(ρ, φ; ρ0 , φ0 )

∞  
X
0mπ/β mπφ0
= Am ρ sin , 0 ≤ ρ0 ≤ ρ (5)
m=1
β
∞ h  
X
0mπ/β 0−mπ/β
i mπφ0
= Bm ρ + Cm ρ sin , ρ ≤ ρ0 ≤ a (6)
m=1
β

The solution in the second region must vanish at ρ0 = a for all φ0 , i.e.

Bm amπ/β + Cm a−mπ/β = 0

so
Bm = γm a−mπ/β and Cm = −γm amπ/β
where γm can be anything. Then (6) becomes
"   mπ/β #
∞ 0 mπ/β
 
0 0
X ρ a mπφ0
G(ρ, φ; ρ , φ ) = γm − sin ρ ≤ ρ0 ≤ a.
m=1
a ρ0 β

The solutions in the two regions must agree on the boundary between the two
regions, i.e. at ρ0 = ρ. This determines Am and γm :
" #
 ρ mπ/β  a mπ/β
Am = λ m − γm = λm ρmπ/β
a ρ

where λm can be anything. Using these expressions for Am , Bm , and Cm we

can write

G(ρ, φ; ρ0 , φ0 )

∞
"  mπ/β #  
X  ρ mπ/β a mπφ0
= λm − ρ0mπ/β sin 0 ≤ ρ0 ≤ ρ
m=1
a ρ β
" #
∞   mπ/β   mπ/β  
X ρ0 a mπ/β mπφ0
= λm − ρ sin ρ ≤ ρ0 ≤ a.
m=1
a ρ0 β

This may be more succintly written as

 
X mπφ0
G(ρ, φ; ρ0 , φ0 ) = λm fm (ρ; ρ0 ) sin (7)
m
β

where "  mπ/β #

 ρ mπ/β a
0 > mπ/β
fm (ρ; ρ ) = − ρ< .
a ρ>
Homer Reid’s Solutions to Jackson Problems: Chapter 3 5

The final step is to choose the constant λm in (7) such as to make

1
∇2 G(ρ, φ; ρ0 , φ0 ) = δ(ρ0 − ρ)δ(φ0 − φ). (8)
ρ
The Laplacian of (7) is
 2 " 2 #
1 ∂2 d2
   
2 ∂ X
0 mπ 0 mπφ0
∇ G= + 02 02 G = λm fm (ρ; ρ ) − fm (ρ; ρ ) sin
∂ρ02 ρ ∂φ m
dρ02 ρ0 β β

This is equal to (8) if  

1 mπφ
λm = κ m sin (9)
β β
and " 2 #
d2

mπ 1
κm fm (ρ; ρ0 ) − 0
fm (ρ; ρ ) = δ(ρ0 − ρ).
dρ02 ρ0 β ρ
At all points ρ0 6= ρ, the latter condition is already satisfied by f as we con-
structed it earlier. At ρ0 = ρ, the condition is achieved by choosing κm to
satisfy
ρ0 =ρ+
d  1
κm 0 fm (ρ; ρ0 ) = . (10)
dρ ρ =ρ−
0 ρ
Referring to (7), we have
 "  mπ/β #
d mπ  ρ mπ/β a
ρmπ/β−1

fm  = + (11)
dρ 0
ρ0 +ρ+ β a ρ
 "  mπ/β #
d mπ  ρ mπ/β a
ρmπ/β−1 .

f m
 = − (12)
dρ 0
ρ0 +ρ− β a ρ

Subtracting (12) from (11) we obtain

ρ0 =ρ+
dfm  2mπ mπ/β 1
= a · .
dρ ρ0 =ρ−
0  β ρ
Then from (10) we read off
β −mπ/β
κm = a
2mπ
and plugging this into (9) gives
 
1 −mπ/β mπ
λm = a sin φ.
2mπ β
Plugging this into (7) we obtain finally
" #
X 1  ρ ρ mπ/β  ρ mπ/β 
mπφ
 
mπφ0

0 0 < > <
G(ρ, φ; ρ , φ ) = − sin sin
m
2mπ a2 ρ> β β
I seem to be off by a factor of 2 here, but I can’t find where.