Magnetic field induction due to charged radially symmetrically shaped body rotating about an axis

integrationmultivariable-calculusphysicsvector analysis

I had been solving questions based on finding magnetic field induction at the center of geometrical figures, with charge uniformly distributed on their surface with density $\sigma$, rotating about the axis passing through the center with angular velocity $\omega$, and radius say $R$. If we let the magnetic field induction to be $\eta \mu_{0}\sigma\omega R$, where $\eta$ is some constant due to the geometry of the body. For a disc, $\eta=1/2$, and for a sphere $\eta=2/3$. There is an uncanny appearance of the same numerical factor which appears in the moment of inertia about the axis passing through center for the respective shapes.

For context to some of the underlying formulas, there is the gyro-magnetic ratio which relates the magentic moment $\overline{M}$ of a configuration to its angular momentum $M/L=q/2m$. Biot-Savart law which is used to write the magnetic field induction due to point charge moving with a certain velocity. Let the moment of inertia of the body about the axis be $I$. I believe that the following should hold. I do not have enough background in vector analysis to prove whether this is the case. Can this be somehow proved for any general radially symmetric body?

$$\boxed{\eta=\frac{I}{mR^2}}$$

Best Answer

Some thoughts.

From a physics point of view there is the complication over the free choice of units to consider, when comparing the laws of mechanics with the laws of electromagnetism to uncover the exact nature and extent of any underlying analogies.

However from a mathematical point of view I think you are over complicating things, at least in the first analysis.

Why not compare the moment of inertia calculation directly with the classical magnetic moment calculation?

Moment of Inertia Calculation

In the case of the moment of inertia consider a elemental point mass $dm_{mass}$ of density $\rho$ and volume $dv_{mass}$, at radius $r$ from the axis of rotation, then the moment of inertia is defined

$$d\overline{i}_{inertia}=\overline{r}^2\, dm_{mass}=\overline{r}^2\, \rho \,dv_{mass}$$

At radius $r$ and angle $\theta$ to the perpendicular $dr\,=2\pi r^2 \cos \theta \,d\theta$, assuming symmetry around the spin access to simplify the calculations below.

$$di_{inertia}=(r \cos \theta)^2 \rho \,(2 \pi r^2 \cos \theta )\, d \theta=2 \pi r^4 \rho \cos^3 \theta \, d\theta$$

In the case of a solid sphere of mass $M_{mass}$, density $\rho$ and volume $V=\frac{M}{\rho}=\frac{4 \pi R^3}{3}$, the moment of inertia $I$ is

$$I=2\times2 \pi \rho \int_0^{\pi/2} \int _0^R r^4 \cos \theta \,dr \,d\theta=\frac{4 \pi R^5 \rho}{5}\int_0^{\pi/2} \cos^3 \theta \, d \theta=\frac{2M_{mass}R^2}{5}$$

Classical Magnetic Moment Calculation

In the case of the elemental magnetic moment, $\overline{m}_{current}$, calculation it is

$$d\overline{m}_{current}=\overline{A}\,di_{current}$$

where $\overline{A}$ is the area within the current loop. The current, $i_{current}$, flowing along a spinning elemental ring of uniform charge density $\sigma=Q /(4 \pi R^2)$ (as if there where a sphere of charge $Q$ at radius $R$; the constant factor of which is an arbitrary choice based on my choice of units) is $$di_{current}=\frac{\text{charge on ring}}{\text{period of revolution}}=\frac{(Q /(4 \pi R^2))(2 \pi R^2 \cos \theta\, d \theta)}{(2 \pi / \omega)}=\frac{Q \omega}{4 \pi} \cos \theta \, d \theta$$

with the elemental magnetic moment being

$$dm_{current}=\pi (R \cos \theta)^2 \,\frac{Q \omega}{4 \pi} \cos \theta \, d \theta = \frac{Q \omega R^2}{4 }\cos^3\theta\, d \theta $$

In this case the magnetic moment for a spinning charged sphere is

$$M_{current}=2 \times\frac{Q \omega R^2}{4 }\int_0^{\pi/2}\cos^3\theta\, d \theta=\frac{1}{3}Q \omega R^2$$