Department of Physics, IIT-Kanpur

Instructors: TKG & KK PHY103A (2017-18, I-SEM) Problem Set 7

1. According to quantum mechanics, the electron cloud for a hydrogen atom in the ground
state has a charge density
q
(r) = 3 e2r/a ,
a
where q is the electron charge and a is the Bohr radius. Find the atomic polarizability of
such an atom.

2. Suppose the field inside a large dielectric is E0 , so that the electric displacement is D0 =
0 E0 + P.
a) Now a small spherical cavity is hollowed out of the material. Find the field at the center
of the cavity in terms of E0 and P.
b) Do the same for a long needle-shaped cavity running parallel to P.
c) Do the same for a thin wafer-shaped cavity perpendicular to P.

3. A point charge q is imbedded at the center of a sphere of linear dielectric material (with
susceptibility e and radius R). Find the electric field, the polarization, and the bound
charge densities. What is the total bound charge on the surface? Where is the compensating
negative bound charge located?

4. A parallel plate capacitor has charge densities f on its plates which are separated by a
distance d. The space between the capacitor plates is filled with a linear but inhomogeneous
dielectric. The dielectric constant is given by k(x) = (1 + x/d) such that the value of the
dielectric constant is one at the positive plate. Calculate the electric displacement vector
D, electric field E and polarization vector P. Calculate the potential difference between the
plates. Calculate the effective capacitance Ceff . Calculate the bound charge densities.

Exercises

1. A dielectric slab of side a, centered at the origin, carries a frozen-in polarization P = kr,
where k is a constant. Calculate all the bound charges.

2. A very long cylinder of radius a, carries a uniform polarization P perpendicular to its axis.
Show that the electric field inside the cylinder is
P
E= .
20
Show that the field outside the cylinder can be expressed in the form
a2 h i
E(r) = 2(P s)s P .
20 s2

3. A parallel plate capacitor with plate area 40 cm2 and plate separation 5 mm is given a
charge qf = 2 1012 C. The battery is disconnected and a parallel faced dielectric slab
(k = 5) of area 40 cm2 and thickness 3 mm is placed centrally between the two plates.
Find f , b . Calculate D/0 , E and P/0 in the various regions between the plates. What is

1
 the capacitance for the three different situations: i) no dielectric materials, ii) the dielectric
material is placed centrally as described in this problem and iii) the dielectric material fills
the entire space between the plates.
Answer: f = D = 5 1010 C/m2 , b = P = 4 1010 C/m2 , D/0 = 57 V/m, Electric
field inside the dielectric = Ein = 11.4 i V/m. i) no dielectric material: Ceff = 7 pF. ii)
dielectric material is placed centrally: Ceff = 35 pF. iii) dielectric material fills the entire
space: Ceff = 13.49 pF.

4. At a planar interface between two dielectric media with dielectric permittivities 1 and 2 ,
the electric field in medium-1 makes an angle 1 with the normal to the interface and the
electric field in medium-2 makes an angle 2 . Find the relation between 1 and 2 . Answer:
1 tan 1
2
= tan 2
.