Unit-2 - Part-3:

 Multipole Expansion

(Section-3.4)

No. of Lectures: 2-3

Tutorial-4 : 10-02-16
Let us consider some special arrangement of charges as shown below
and see how V depends on r.

Monopole Dipole Quadrupole Octopole

r+

d r-

If the point of observation is far away from the dipole (r >> d)

How does the potential behave for an arbitrary localized charge distributions? !

Can we make a systematic expansion of the potential to get the answer?

z  n
qi  
V (r )   where Ri  r  ri
P i 1 4 0 Ri
Ri
r
qi
i 1
q2 Ri  (r  ri  2rri cos i )
2 2 2
ri
o y
qn  n
qi
q1 V (r )   1
4 0 (r  ri  2rri cos i )
2 2
i 1 2

x
 2
1 1 r  r 
 where t  2 i  cos i   i 
Ri r (1  t )12
r  r

Expand (1+t)-1/2 as a power series.

1  t  1 3 5
1
2  1 t  t 2  t3 
2 8 16
2
1   ri   ri   3   ri   ri  
2 2
1
 1   2  cos i       2  cos i      ...
1  t 1 2 2   r   r   8   r   r  
2
r  1r 
 
 1   i  cos i   i  3 cos2  i  1  ...
r 2 r 

 i  1  
2
 1 n 1 n 1 n
qi ri
 V (r )  
4 0 r i 1
qi  
4 0 r i 1
2
qi ri cos  i  
4 0 r i 1 2
3
3 cos 2

Monopole Dipole Quadrupole

For continuous charge distribution, summation will be replaced

by integration using appropriate charge density.
Monopole term
n This is the dominant term in the potential. At far away distance the whole
q
i 1
i Q charge distribution will behave as if it is were a point charge.

 Q
Vmon (r )  Q is called the monopole moment of the charge distribution.
4 0 r


For continuous charge distribution Q    (r ')d '
V'

n
 n  
Dipole term  q r cos
i 1
i i i  ˆr    qi ri   rˆ  p
 i 1 

For continuous charge distribution

   
We can define the cos  i as r  ri  ri  l x xi  l y yi  l z zi
cos i   rˆ    
Quadrupole Term
rri  ri  ri
This term is complicated

ri 3 cos2 i  1  3rˆ  ri   ri  3(l x xi  l y y i  l z z i ) 2  ri (l x  l y  l z )

2 2 2 2 2 2 2

 l x (3 xi  ri )  l y (3 yi  ri )  l z (3 zi  ri ) 
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

6l x l y xi yi  6l y l z yi zi  6l z l x zi xi

 q r 3 cos  i  1 
2 2
i i
Therefore, i

 q (3x  ri )  l x l y  qi 3xi yi  l x l z  qi 3xi zi 

2 2 2
lx i i
i i i

 q (3 y  r )  l l  q 3 y x  l l  q 3 y z 
2 2 2
ly i i i y x i i i y z i i i
i i i

l z  qi (3z i  ri )  l z l x  qi 3z i xi  l z l y  qi 3z i yi
2 2 2

i i i
Each term in the expression is a product of something that depends only on the field point (its
direction) and a quantity that depends only on the details of its charge distribution.
We define here a new quantity Qjk, which are called the components of the quadrupole
moment tensor
 Qxx   qi  3xi 2  ri 2  Qxy   qi 3xi y i
i i

 
  qi ri 3 cos2  i  1  l x 2Qxx  l x l y Qxy  l x l z Qxz 
2

i
l y Q yy  l y l x Q yx  l y l z Q yz 
2

l z Q zz  l z l x Q zx  l z l y Q zy
2

  l l Q
j  x, y , z k  x, y , z
j k jk

Incorporating this into the quadrupole term of the potential, we get

 1 1
VQ (r ) 
4 0 r 2
3
  l l Q
j  x, y , z k  x, y , z
j k jk