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The method of image charges (also known as the method of images and method of mirror charges) is a basic problem-solving tool in electrostatics.The name originates from the replacement of certain elements in the original layout with fictitious charges, which replicates the boundary conditions of the problem (see Dirichlet boundary conditions or Neumann boundary conditions).
The electric dipole moment is a measure of the separation of positive and negative electrical charges within a system: that is, a measure of the system's overall polarity. The SI unit for electric dipole moment is the coulomb-metre (C⋅m). The debye (D) is another unit of measurement used in atomic physics and chemistry.
Continuous charge distribution. The volume charge density ρ is the amount of charge per unit volume (cube), surface charge density σ is amount per unit surface area (circle) with outward unit normal n̂, d is the dipole moment between two point charges, the volume density of these is the polarization density P.
In practice, many fields can be well approximated with a finite number of multipole moments (although an infinite number may be required to reconstruct a field exactly). A typical application is to approximate the field of a localized charge distribution by its monopole and dipole terms.
Within the Standard Model, such a dipole is predicted to be non-zero but very small, at most 10 −38 e⋅cm, [2] where e stands for the elementary charge. The discovery of a substantially larger electron electric dipole moment would imply a violation of both parity invariance and time reversal invariance. [3] [4]
In physics, spherical multipole moments are the coefficients in a series expansion of a potential that varies inversely with the distance R to a source, i.e., as . Examples of such potentials are the electric potential , the magnetic potential and the gravitational potential .
Each term in the expansion is associated with a characteristic moment and a potential having a characteristic rate of decrease with distance r from the source. Monopole moments have a 1/r rate of decrease, dipole moments have a 1/r 2 rate, quadrupole moments have a 1/r 3 rate, and so on. The higher the order, the faster the potential drops off.
The Laporte rule (law) applies to electric dipole transitions, so the operator has u symmetry (meaning ungerade, odd). [3] p orbitals also have u symmetry, so the symmetry of the transition moment function is given by the product (formally, the product is taken in the group) u×u×u, which has u symmetry. The transitions are therefore forbidden.