Determain thickness of layers in cylindrical capacitor

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the thickness of the inner layer of a cylindrical capacitor with coaxial cylinders and relative dielectric constants ε1 and ε2. The correct formula for the thickness δ is derived as δ = {r_0}^{(ε_2/(ε_1 + ε_2))} · {r_1}^{(ε_2/(ε_1 + ε_2))} - r_0. The initial approach involved using the electric displacement field D and the electric fields E1 and E2, but an error in the expression for D was identified and corrected. The final solution aligns with the expected answer, confirming the validity of the derived equation.

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  • Understanding of coaxial capacitors and their configurations
  • Familiarity with electric displacement field (D) and electric field (E) concepts
  • Knowledge of logarithmic functions and their application in physics
  • Basic calculus for solving equations involving variables
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  • Learn about the applications of dielectric materials in capacitors
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Vernes
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Homework Statement


We have two coaxial cylinders with radius r0 and r1. The space between the two cylinders is completely coverd with two coaxial isolation layers with relative dielectric constants ε1 and ε2, ε1 is for the inner layer. Calculate the thickness of the inner layer such that the voltage drop over both layers is equal.

Homework Equations


\oint \textbf{D} \cdot d\textbf{S}
\textbf{D} = \epsilon_0 \epsilon_r \textbf{E}
V(r_2) - V(r_1) =- \int_{r_1}^{r_2} \textbf{E} \cdot d\textbf{l}

The Attempt at a Solution


Let Qinside be the free charge inside where r < r0 and let δ be the thickness of the inner layer.
Then from symmetry we get when r0 < r < r1 :
\textbf{D(r)} = \frac{Q_{inside}}{4\pi r^2} \hat{r}
So the electric field E1 for r0 < r < (r0 + δ) is:
\textbf{E}_1 = \frac{Q_{inside}}{4\pi \epsilon_0 \epsilon_1 r^2} \hat{r}
and the electric field E2 for (r0 + δ)< r < r1 is:
\textbf{E}_2 = \frac{Q_{inside}}{4\pi \epsilon_0 \epsilon_2 r^2} \hat{r}
The voltage drop over the first layer is given by:
V(r_0 + \delta) - V(r_0) =- \int_{r_1}^{r_1 + \delta} \textbf{E}_1 \cdot d\textbf{l} = \frac{Q_{inside}}{4\pi \epsilon_0 \epsilon_1}(\frac{1}{r_0 + \delta} - \frac{1}{r_0} )
The voltage drop over the second layer is given by:
V(r_1) - V(r_0 + \delta) =- \int_{r_1 + \delta}^{r_2} \textbf{E}_2 \cdot d\textbf{l} = \frac{Q_{inside}}{4\pi \epsilon_0 \epsilon_2}(\frac{1}{r_1} - \frac{1}{r_0 + \delta} )
The voltage drops should be equal to we get:
\frac{Q_{inside}}{4\pi \epsilon_0 \epsilon_2}(\frac{1}{r_1} - \frac{1}{r_0 + \delta}) = \frac{Q_{inside}}{4\pi \epsilon_0 \epsilon_1}(\frac{1}{r_0 + \delta} - \frac{1}{r_0}) \Leftrightarrow \delta = \frac{(r_1-r_0)\epsilon_1 r_0} {\epsilon_2 r_1 + \epsilon_1 r_0}
This is not the right answer according to the key but i can't seem to find where I go wrong.
 
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Ok, I see one error that i did. D should be:
\textbf{D} = \frac{Q_{inside}}{2\pi L r}\hat{r}
Similar steps as before gives me:
\frac{1}{\epsilon_1} \ln \frac{r_0+\delta}{r_0} = \frac{1}{\epsilon_2} \ln \frac{r_1}{r_0+\delta}
My remaining question is then how do i solve for δ in the equation above?

Edit: Ok, I was a bit to hasty, it wasn't so hard to solve for δ as i expected...
If anyone is interested I got:
\delta = {r_0}^{ \frac{\epsilon_2}{\epsilon_1 + \epsilon_2}} \cdot {r_1}^{ \frac{\epsilon_2}{\epsilon_1 + \epsilon_2}} - r_0
Which is the right answer!
 
Last edited:

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