Why is the curl of this time varying magnetic field still 0?

In summary, the magnetic field around an infinite line of current is given by:$$ \overrightarrow{B} = \frac{\mu _{0} I}{2\pi \rho }\widehat{\phi} $$and the electric field in the vicinity is given by:$$ \overrightarrow{\bigtriangledown } \times \overrightarrow{E} =\left [ \frac{1}{\rho } \frac{\partial Bz }{\partial \phi } - \frac{\partial B\phi }{\partial z} \right ]\widehat{\rho } +
  • #1
FrankJ777
140
6
I'm trying to become reacquainted with basic electromagnetics. From my understanding a changing magnetic field induces a changing electric field and visa versa, through the equation:
$$ \overrightarrow{\bigtriangledown } \times \overrightarrow{B} = \mu_{0} \left [ \widehat{J} + \varepsilon _{0} \frac{\partial \overrightarrow{E} }{\partial t}\right ] $$

So calculating the magnetic field B, around an infinite line of current, where the current flows in the positive z direction, using cylindrical coordinates, I get:
$$ \overrightarrow{B} = \frac{\mu _{0} I}{2\pi \rho }\widehat{\phi} $$
Then to find the change of the electric field in the vicinity, take the curl of B, and we get:
$$ \overrightarrow{\bigtriangledown } \times \overrightarrow{B} =

\left [ \frac{1}{\rho } \frac{\partial Bz }{\partial \phi } - \frac{\partial B\phi }{\partial z} \right ]\widehat{\rho } +
\left [ \frac{\partial B\rho }{\partial z} - \frac{\partial Bz }{\partial \rho } \right ]\widehat{\phi } +
\frac{1}{\rho }
\left [ \frac{\partial (\rho B\phi) }{\partial \rho } - \frac{\partial B\rho }{\partial \phi } \right ]\widehat{z } = 0$$ which seems like it makes sense because the current and magnetic field are not changing. But, if i use a time varying current: where $$ I= I_{0}cos(\omega t) \Rightarrow \overrightarrow{B} = \frac{\mu _{0} I_{0}cos(\omega t)}{2\pi \rho }\widehat{\phi} $$ but i still get:
$$ \overrightarrow{\bigtriangledown } \times \overrightarrow{B} =

\left [ \frac{1}{\rho } \frac{\partial Bz }{\partial \phi } - \frac{\partial B\phi }{\partial z} \right ]\widehat{\rho } +
\left [ \frac{\partial B\rho }{\partial z} - \frac{\partial Bz }{\partial \rho } \right ]\widehat{\phi } +
\frac{1}{\rho }
\left [ \frac{\partial (\rho B\phi) }{\partial \rho } - \frac{\partial B\rho }{\partial \phi } \right ]\widehat{z } = 0$$
So even though I have a time varying current, which seems to produce a time varying magnetic field around the infinite wire, I don't seem to be getting a time varying electric field as I would expect. I can understand why mathematically, seeing that I0cos(ωt) is not a function of ρ or z, so that in the curl, the partial derivatives with respect to ρ and z are still 0.
So I'm not sure where I went wrong. I can see that if I included a phase term in the current, where I0cos(ωt-βz) the curl of B would not equal 0, but I thought that just a time varying current would cause a changing magnetic field which in turn would cause a changing electric field. Can someone point my in the right direction about where I'm going wrong? Thanks
 
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  • #2
The partial of B sub phi w.r.t. rho is zero?
 
  • #3
If you have a time-varying magnetic field, and you want to find the electric field that it induces, you need to use the Maxwell equation that contains the time derivative of ##\vec B##, that is: $$\vec \nabla \times \vec E = - \frac{\partial \vec B}{\partial t}$$ or the integral version $$\oint {\vec E \cdot d \vec l} = -\frac{d}{dt}\int {\vec B \cdot d \vec a}$$ Griffiths does what is basically your problem as Example 7.9, using the integral version and taking advantage of symmetries in the fields. I expect most any E&M textbook will also discuss this situation as an example, in the chapter on electromagnetic induction.
 
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  • #4
Hmmm... My phone wouldn't view the last half of your curl last night, and I didn't realize there was a rho in the numerator. I don't see how that comes in though. If the Gradient operator is ##\frac{\partial}{\partial \rho} \hat{\rho} +\frac{1}{\rho}\frac{\partial}{\partial \phi} \hat{\phi} +\frac{\partial}{\partial z} \hat{z}##, crossing that with a vector field doesn't (alone) give you that rho in the numerator within the partial derivative. Would anyone care to explain how this came to be? That's exactly how it's listed on wikipedia, but it seems inconsistent.
 
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  • #5
Ahh... I think I may have an explanation for this.

The current density is going to be in one direction, whereas the derivative of the electric field (the field driving the electrons) will be negative. This doesn't say you have a time constant E field, it says the sum of the two is 0. This seems to make a little bit more sense. I'm going to look into this cylindrical coordinate's thing a little more. (It's not something I've done a lot with, in terms of del and other things.)
If you take the approach jtbell suggested, you'll end up with an exact PDE, which is readily solveable. This one should be pretty simple (one integral to solve)
 

Related to Why is the curl of this time varying magnetic field still 0?

1. Why is the curl of a time varying magnetic field 0?

The curl of a magnetic field measures the circulation or rotation of the field around a point. In the case of a time varying magnetic field, the field is changing over time, but the overall circulation or rotation remains the same. This means that the curl is always 0, indicating that there is no net change in the magnetic field's circulation.

2. How does a time varying magnetic field maintain a 0 curl?

This is due to the Maxwell-Faraday equation, which states that a changing magnetic field induces an electric field, and vice versa. In the case of a time varying magnetic field, the induced electric field acts in a way that cancels out any changes in the magnetic field's circulation, keeping the overall curl at 0.

3. Can a time varying magnetic field ever have a non-zero curl?

In theory, yes. If the induced electric field is not strong enough to cancel out the changes in the magnetic field's circulation, then the curl may be non-zero. However, in most practical situations, the Maxwell-Faraday equation holds true and the curl remains at 0.

4. How does this phenomenon impact electromagnetic waves?

Electromagnetic waves are created by oscillations of electric and magnetic fields, and these fields have 0 curl. This means that electromagnetic waves can propagate without being affected by the changing magnetic field, allowing them to maintain their shape and direction of travel.

5. Is the curl of a time varying magnetic field always 0?

No, the curl of a time varying magnetic field is not always 0. This only applies to situations where the Maxwell-Faraday equation holds true and the induced electric field cancels out changes in the magnetic field's circulation. In other cases, such as when the magnetic field is changing rapidly, the curl may be non-zero.

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