Green's function representation of electric potential

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the representation of electric potential using Green's functions in the context of solving the Laplace equation in a specified region of space. Participants explore the implications of boundary conditions and the formulation of the problem in both two and three dimensions.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant presents a problem involving the Laplace equation for an electric field in a half-space defined by z > η, with η being a function.
  • Another participant seeks clarification on whether η is a fixed value or a function, indicating potential confusion about the problem's setup.
  • A participant suggests simplifying the problem by considering the region as z ≥ 0 instead of z > η.
  • There is a discussion about the boundary condition, specifically that only the x-component of the electric field is known on the surface.
  • One participant proposes that the potential V could be equal to η based on additional considerations.
  • A later reply claims to have solved the problem by equating V and η and reformulating the problem to use Green's second formula, leading to an integral representation of V involving the Green's function for the half-space.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the formulation of the problem and the implications of the boundary conditions. There is no consensus on the best approach to take or the validity of the proposed solutions.

Contextual Notes

Participants have not fully resolved the implications of the boundary conditions or the assumptions regarding the function η. The discussion includes various interpretations of the problem setup and the mathematical steps involved in applying Green's functions.

hunt_mat
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Hi,

I have the following problem, I have an electric field (which no charge) which satisfies the usual Laplace equation:
[tex] \frac{\partial^{2}V}{\partial x^{2}}+\frac{\partial^{2}V}{\partial y^{2}}+\frac{\partial^{2}V}{\partial z^{2}}=0[/tex]
in the region [itex]\mathbb{R}^{2}\times [\eta ,\infty ][/itex]. So basically it is the upper half z-plane where the boundary is some fixed surface [itex]\eta[/itex], I also know that on this surface:
[tex] \frac{\partial V}{\partial x}=\frac{\partial\eta}{\partial x}[/tex]

I can do this in 2D by the use of the Hilbert transform. Any suggestions?
 
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Let me make sure I understand: this is a region for [itex]z > \eta[/itex] for some fixed [itex]\eta[/itex], or is [itex]\eta[/itex] a function?
 
[itex]\eta[/itex] is a function but with further thought the region could be set to [itex]z\geqslant 0[/itex] and I think that this will make the problem easier.
 
And if I read what you said correctly, you only know the value of the x-component of the electric field on this surface?
 
I think that you can also say that [itex]V=\eta[/itex] due to other considerations too.
 
So I think I have solved this problem, I took [itex]V[/itex] and [itex]\eta[/itex] to be of the same size but small and reduced the complexity of the problem somewhat and the domain is now: [itex]\mathbb{R}^{2}\times [ 0,\infty )[/itex], using Green's second formula, I can write the solution as an integral over the boundary:
[tex] V(x,y,z)=\int_{\mathbb{R}^{2}}g\partial_{z}V-V\partial_{z}g\Big|_{z'=0}d\Sigma[/tex]
Where [itex]g[/itex] is the Green's function for Laplaces's equation for the half space given by:
[tex] g(x,y,x|x',y',z')=\frac{1}{4\pi\sqrt{(x-x')^{2}+(y-y')^{2}+(z-z')^{2}}}-\frac{1}{4\pi\sqrt{(x-x')^{2}+(y-y')^{2}+(z+z')^{2}}}[/tex]
Then using the boundary condition [itex]V=\eta[/itex], then the solution becomes:
[tex] u=\int_{\mathbb{R}^{2}}u\frac{\partial g}{\partial z}d\Sigma[/tex]
 
Last edited:

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