Writing up the charge distribution with Dirac's delta

In summary, the conversation discusses the use of Dirac's delta in writing charge distributions in electrostatics. The problem of writing the charge distribution in spherical coordinates for a point charge is also addressed. The solution is to use a modified equation with a constant, k, which is determined by evaluating the integral of the Jacobian of the coordinate system and integrating with respect to the "missing" Dirac's delta.
  • #1
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Homework Statement


In electrostatics it's useful to have ##\rho (\vec x )## written with Dirac's delta so that we can know the total charge by integrating the charge distribution over a region of space.
Many problems/situations deal with point charges. In Cartesian coordinates for example, ##\rho (\vec x ) = q \delta (x+3) \delta (y ) \delta (z)## means there's a charge q situated at (-3,0,0).
My question is, how do you write up the charge distribution of a point charge in spherical coordinates ##(r, \theta , \phi )## when the charge lies over the z-axis? (or at the origin for example).
Because in such a coordinate system, the angle "phi" is not well defined for the z-axis. And at the origin both phi and theta are not well defined. So I don't know how to write the charge distribution in such cases.
Thank you!
 
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I've tried a few things, like if a charge q is at ##(d_1,0,0)## in Cartesian coordinates. In spherical coordinates I tried
1)##\rho (\vec x ) =q \frac{\delta (\theta ) \delta (r-d_1 ) \delta ( \phi )}{r^2 \sin \theta }##. In this case I reached what I should, namely that ##q=\int \rho (\vec x ) d ^3x##.
2)##\rho (\vec x ) =q \frac{\delta (\theta ) \delta (r-d_1 ) \delta ( \phi - \text {any value between 0 and 2 \pi} )}{r^2 \sin \theta }## which also works well.
3)##\rho (\vec x ) =q \frac{\delta (\theta ) \delta (r-d_1 ) }{r \sin \theta }## which doesn't yield ##q= \int \rho (\vec x ) d^3 x## so that's really bad.
4)Other variants that didn't work.

Overall, only when I chose an arbitrary value for phi, I could get a sensical result. However I'm not satisfied that any value for phi work, because when I use ##\rho (\vec x )## in other equations, it makes a big difference what the value of phi is, and not any value will work.
Example: For the Green function in the case of a conducting sphere at potential 0, the potential is given by ##\Phi (\vec x ) = \int G(x,x') \rho (x' )d^3x'## where ##G(x,x')## does depend on phi and therefore ##\Phi## (the potential) will depend on the value I choose for phi in the Dirac's delta for rho, the charge density.
Since the potential is uniquely determined, only 1 value for phi work. I just don't know how to find it. Thus my question, how to write rho (x) in spherical coordinates when there's a charge on the z-axis or on the origin.

Edit: I found out the solution.
It's to write up ##\rho (\vec x ) =q*k \frac{\delta (\theta ) \delta (r-d_1 ) }{r^2 \sin \theta }## where k=1/(2 pi) in my example. In general it's just evaluating the integral of the Jacobian of the coordinate system and integrate with respect to the "missing" Dirac's delta. That's worth the denominator. So in my example it's just 2 pi.
 
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1. What is the concept of "Writing up the charge distribution with Dirac's delta"?

"Writing up the charge distribution with Dirac's delta" is a mathematical technique used to describe the distribution of electric charge in a system. It involves representing the charge density as a combination of a continuous function and a series of point charges, known as Dirac delta functions. This allows for a more accurate and concise description of the charge distribution.

2. How does using Dirac's delta function make the charge distribution more accurate?

Dirac's delta function is a mathematical tool that allows for the representation of an infinite point charge. By incorporating these point charges into the charge density function, it can better capture the behavior and distribution of the charge in a system, leading to a more accurate representation of the charge distribution.

3. Can Dirac's delta function be used to describe any charge distribution?

Yes, Dirac's delta function can be used to describe any charge distribution, as long as the charge distribution is continuous. This means that it can be used to describe both simple and complex charge distributions in various systems.

4. Are there any limitations to using Dirac's delta function in writing up charge distributions?

One limitation of using Dirac's delta function is that it assumes the charge distribution is continuous and does not take into account any discrete charges or point charges that may be present in the system. Additionally, the use of Dirac's delta function can sometimes lead to mathematical inconsistencies, which must be carefully addressed in order to accurately describe the charge distribution.

5. How is "Writing up the charge distribution with Dirac's delta" relevant in scientific research?

The concept of "Writing up the charge distribution with Dirac's delta" is relevant in many areas of scientific research, particularly in fields such as electromagnetism and quantum mechanics. It allows for a more precise and efficient description of the charge distribution, which is essential in understanding and predicting the behavior of particles and systems at the atomic and subatomic level.

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