Editing Scalar potential

{{Short description|When potential energy difference depends only on displacement}}
{{about|a general description of a function used in mathematics and physics to describe conservative fields|the scalar potential of electromagnetism|electric potential|all other uses|potential}}

In [[mathematical physics]], '''scalar potential''' describes the situation where the difference in the [[potential energy|potential energies]] of an object in two different positions depends only on the positions, not upon the path taken by the object in traveling from one position to the other.  It is a [[scalar field]] in [[three-space]]:  a directionless value ([[Scalar (mathematics)|scalar]]) that depends only on its location.  A familiar example is [[Gravitational energy|potential energy due to gravity]].

[[File:Electrodynamics vector calculus review gradient.svg|thumb|400px|Vector field (right) and corresponding scalar potential (left).]]
A ''scalar [[potential]]'' is a fundamental concept in [[vector analysis]] and [[physics]] (the adjective ''scalar'' is frequently omitted if there is no danger of confusion with ''[[vector potential]]'').  The scalar potential is an example of a [[scalar field]]. Given a [[vector field]] {{math|'''F'''}}, the scalar potential {{mvar|P}} is defined such that: <ref>{{ cite book | first = Herbert | last = Goldstein | title=Classical Mechanics| date = 1980 |edition=2|pages=3–4| publisher = Addison-Wesley Publishing Company |isbn=978-0-201-02918-5}}</ref>
<math display="block"> \mathbf{F} = -\nabla P = - \left(
\frac{\partial P}{\partial x},
\frac{\partial P}{\partial y},
\frac{\partial P}{\partial z}
\right), </math>
where {{math|∇''P''}} is the [[gradient]] of {{mvar|P}} and the second part of the equation is minus the gradient for a function of the [[Cartesian coordinate system|Cartesian coordinates]] {{mvar|x, y, z}}.{{efn|The second part of this equation is ''only'' valid for Cartesian coordinates, other coordinate systems such as cylindrical or spherical coordinates will have more complicated representations, derived from the [[gradient theorem|fundamental theorem of the gradient]].}} In some cases, mathematicians may use a positive sign in front of the gradient to define the potential.<ref>See [http://www.math.umn.edu/~nykamp/m2374/readings/findpot/] for an example where the potential is defined without a negative. Other references such as {{citation |author=Louis Leithold |title=The Calculus with Analytic Geometry |page=1199 |edition=5}} avoid using the term ''potential'' when solving for a function from its gradient.</ref> Because of this definition of {{mvar|P}} in terms of the gradient, the direction of {{math|'''F'''}} at any point is the direction of the steepest decrease of {{mvar|P}} at that point, its magnitude is the rate of that decrease per unit length.

In order for {{math|'''F'''}} to be described in terms of a scalar potential only, any of the following equivalent statements have to be true:
#<math>-\int_a^b \mathbf{F}\cdot d\mathbf{l} = P(\mathbf{b})-P(\mathbf{a}),</math> where the integration is over a [[Jordan arc]] passing from location {{math|'''a'''}} to location {{math|'''b'''}} and {{math|''P''('''b''')}} is {{mvar|P}} evaluated at location {{math|'''b'''}}.
#<math>\oint \mathbf{F}\cdot d\mathbf{l} = 0,</math> where the integral is over any simple closed path, otherwise known as a [[Jordan curve]].
#<math>{\nabla}\times{\mathbf{F}} =0. </math>
The first of these conditions represents the [[gradient theorem|fundamental theorem of the gradient]] and is true for any vector field that is a gradient of a [[Differentiable function|differentiable]] [[single-valued function|single valued]] scalar field {{mvar|P}}.  The second condition is a requirement of {{math|'''F'''}} so that it can be expressed as the gradient of a scalar function. The third condition re-expresses the second condition in terms of the [[curl (mathematics)|curl]] of {{math|'''F'''}} using the [[stokes' theorem|fundamental theorem of the curl]].  A vector field {{math|'''F'''}} that satisfies these conditions is said to be [[irrotational vector field|irrotational]] (conservative).

[[File:Mass potential well increasing mass.gif|thumb|Gravitational potential well of an increasing mass where {{math|1='''F''' = –∇''P''}}]]
Scalar potentials play a prominent role in many areas of physics and engineering.  The [[gravity potential]] is the scalar potential associated with the force of gravity per unit mass, or equivalently, the [[acceleration]] due to the field, as a function of position. The gravity potential is the [[gravitational energy|gravitational potential energy]] per unit mass.  In [[electrostatics]] the [[electric potential]] is the scalar potential associated with the [[electric field]], i.e., with the [[electrostatic force]] per unit [[Electric charge|charge]]. The electric potential is in this case the electrostatic potential energy per unit charge.  In [[fluid dynamics]], irrotational [[lamellar field]]s have a scalar potential only in the special case when it is a [[Laplacian field]].  Certain aspects of the [[nuclear force]] can be described by a [[Yukawa potential]].  The potential play a prominent role in the [[Lagrangian mechanics|Lagrangian]] and [[Hamiltonian mechanics|Hamiltonian]] formulations of [[classical mechanics]].  Further, the scalar potential is the fundamental quantity in [[quantum mechanics]].

Not every vector field has a scalar potential. Those that do are called ''[[conservative vector field|conservative]]'', corresponding to the notion of [[conservative force]] in physics. Examples of non-conservative forces include frictional forces, magnetic forces, and in fluid mechanics a [[solenoidal|solenoidal field]] velocity field. By the [[Helmholtz decomposition]] theorem however, all vector fields can be describable in terms of a scalar potential and corresponding [[vector potential]]. In electrodynamics, the electromagnetic scalar and vector potentials are known together as the [[electromagnetic four-potential]].

==Integrability conditions==
If {{math|'''F'''}} is a [[conservative vector field]] (also called ''irrotational'', ''[[Curl (mathematics)|curl]]-free'', or ''potential''), and its components have [[continuous function|continuous]] [[partial derivative]]s, the '''potential''' of {{math|'''F'''}} with respect to a reference point {{math|'''r'''{{sub|0}}}} is defined in terms of the [[line integral]]:
<math display="block">V(\mathbf r) = -\int_C \mathbf{F}(\mathbf{r})\cdot\,d\mathbf{r} = -\int_a^b \mathbf{F}(\mathbf{r}(t))\cdot\mathbf{r}'(t)\,dt,</math>
where {{mvar|C}} is a [[Parametrization (geometry)|parametrized]] path from {{math|'''r'''{{sub|0}}}} to {{math|'''r'''}},
<math display="block">\mathbf{r}(t), a\leq t\leq b, \mathbf{r}(a)=\mathbf{r_0}, \mathbf{r}(b)=\mathbf{r}.</math>

The fact that the line integral depends on the path {{mvar|C}} only through its terminal points {{math|'''r'''{{sub|0}}}} and {{math|'''r'''}} is, in essence, the '''path independence property''' of a conservative vector field. The [[Gradient theorem|fundamental theorem of line integrals]] implies that if {{mvar|V}} is defined in this way, then {{math|1='''F''' = –∇''V''}}, so that {{mvar|V}} is a scalar potential of the conservative vector field {{math|'''F'''}}. Scalar potential is not determined by the vector field alone: indeed, the gradient of a function is unaffected if a constant is added to it. If {{mvar|V}} is defined in terms of the line integral, the ambiguity of {{mvar|V}} reflects the freedom in the choice of the reference point {{math|'''r'''{{sub|0}}}}.

==Altitude as gravitational potential energy==
{{main|Gravitational potential}}
[[File:Gravity field near earth.gif|thumb|uniform gravitational field near the Earth's surface]][[File:GravityPotential.jpg|thumb|300px|Plot of a two-dimensional slice of the gravitational potential in and around a uniform spherical body. The [[inflection point]]s of the cross-section are at the surface of the body.]]
An example is the (nearly) uniform [[gravitational field]] near the Earth's surface.  It has a potential energy
<math display="block"> U = m g h </math>
where {{mvar|U}} is the gravitational potential energy and {{mvar|h}} is the height above the surface.  This means that gravitational potential energy on a [[contour map]] is proportional to altitude.   On a contour map, the two-dimensional negative gradient of the altitude is a two-dimensional vector field, whose vectors are always perpendicular to the contours and also perpendicular to the direction of gravity.  But on the hilly region represented by the contour map, the three-dimensional negative gradient of {{mvar|U}} always points straight downwards in the direction of gravity; {{math|'''F'''}}.  However, a ball rolling down a hill cannot move directly downwards due to the [[normal force]] of the hill's surface, which cancels out the component of gravity perpendicular to the hill's surface.  The component of gravity that remains to move the ball is parallel to the surface:
<math display="block"> \mathbf F_\mathrm{S} = - m g \ \sin \theta </math>
where {{mvar|θ}} is the angle of inclination, and the component of {{math|'''F'''{{sub|S}}}} perpendicular to gravity is
<math display="block"> \mathbf F_\mathrm{P} = - m g \ \sin \theta \ \cos \theta = - {1 \over 2} m g \sin 2 \theta. </math>
This force {{math|'''F'''{{sub|P}}}}, parallel to the ground, is greatest when {{mvar|θ}} is 45 degrees.

Let {{math|Δ''h''}} be the uniform interval of altitude between contours on the contour map, and let {{math|Δ''x''}} be the distance between two contours.  Then 
<math display="block"> \theta = \tan^{-1}\frac{\Delta h}{\Delta x} </math>
so that
<math display="block"> F_P = - m g { \Delta x \, \Delta h \over \Delta x^2 + \Delta h^2 }. </math>
However, on a contour map, the gradient is inversely proportional to {{math|Δ''x''}}, which is not similar to force {{math|'''F'''{{sub|P}}}}: altitude on a contour map is not exactly a two-dimensional potential field.  The magnitudes of forces are different, but the directions of the forces are the same on a contour map as well as on the hilly region of the Earth's surface represented by the contour map.

==Pressure as buoyant potential==
In [[fluid mechanics]], a fluid in equilibrium, but in the presence of a uniform gravitational field is permeated by a uniform buoyant force that cancels out the gravitational force: that is how the fluid maintains its equilibrium.  This [[buoyancy|buoyant force]] is the negative gradient of [[pressure]]:
<math display="block"> \mathbf{f_B} = - \nabla p. </math>

Since buoyant force points upwards, in the direction opposite to gravity, then pressure in the fluid increases downwards.  Pressure in a static body of water increases proportionally to the depth below the surface of the water.  The surfaces of constant pressure are planes parallel to the surface, which can be characterized as the plane of zero pressure.

If the liquid has a vertical [[vortex]] (whose axis of rotation is perpendicular to the surface), then the vortex causes a depression in the pressure field. The surface of the liquid inside the vortex is pulled downwards as are any surfaces of equal pressure, which still remain parallel to the liquids surface. The effect is strongest inside the vortex and decreases rapidly with the distance from the vortex axis. 

The buoyant force due to a fluid on a solid object immersed and surrounded by that fluid can be obtained by integrating the negative [[pressure gradient]] along the surface of the object:
<math display="block"> F_B = - \oint_S \nabla p \cdot \, d\mathbf{S}. </math>

==Scalar potential in Euclidean space==
In 3-dimensional Euclidean space {{tmath|\mathbb R^3}}, the scalar potential of an [[irrotational vector field]] {{math|'''E'''}} is given by
<math display="block"> \Phi(\mathbf{r}) = \frac{1}{4\pi} \int_{\mathbb R^3} \frac{\operatorname{div} \mathbf{E}(\mathbf{r}')}{\left\| \mathbf{r} - \mathbf{r}' \right\|} \, dV(\mathbf r') </math>
where {{math|''dV''('''r'''')}} is an infinitesimal [[volume element]] with respect to {{math|'''r''''}}.  Then
<math display="block"> \mathbf{E} = -\mathbf{\nabla} \Phi = - \frac{1}{4\pi} \mathbf{\nabla} \int_{\mathbb R^3} \frac{\operatorname{div} \mathbf{E}(\mathbf{r}')}{\left\| \mathbf{r} - \mathbf{r}' \right\|} \, dV(\mathbf r') </math>
This holds provided {{math|'''E'''}} is [[continuous function|continuous]] and vanishes asymptotically to zero towards infinity, decaying faster than {{math|1/''r''}} and if the [[divergence]] of {{math|'''E'''}} likewise vanishes towards infinity, decaying faster than {{math|1/''r''{{sup|&thinsp;2}}}}.

Written another way, let
<math display="block">\Gamma(\mathbf{r}) = \frac{1}{4\pi} \frac{1}{\|\mathbf r\|}</math>
be the [[Newtonian potential]].  This is the [[fundamental solution]] of the [[Laplace equation]], meaning that the Laplacian of {{math|Γ}} is equal to the negative of the [[Dirac delta function]]:
<math display="block">\nabla^2\Gamma(\mathbf r) + \delta(\mathbf r) = 0.</math>
Then the scalar potential is the divergence of the [[convolution]] of {{math|'''E'''}} with {{math|&Gamma;}}:
<math display="block">\Phi = \operatorname{div}(\mathbf E * \Gamma).</math>

Indeed, convolution of an irrotational vector field with a rotationally [[Refractory potential|invariant potential]] is also irrotational.  For an irrotational vector field {{math|'''G'''}}, it can be shown that 
<math display="block">\nabla^2\mathbf{G} = \mathbf{\nabla}(\mathbf{\nabla} \cdot{} \mathbf{G}).</math>
Hence
<math display="block">\nabla\operatorname{div}(\mathbf E * \Gamma) = \nabla^2(\mathbf E * \Gamma) = \mathbf E * \nabla^2\Gamma = -\mathbf E * \delta = -\mathbf E </math>
as required.

More generally, the formula
<math display="block">\Phi = \operatorname{div}(\mathbf E * \Gamma)</math>
holds in {{mvar|n}}-dimensional Euclidean space ({{math|''n'' > 2}}) with the Newtonian potential given then by
<math display="block">\Gamma(\mathbf r) = \frac{1}{n(n-2)\omega_n \|\mathbf r\|^{n-2}}</math>
where {{mvar|ω{{sub|n}}}} is the volume of the unit {{mvar|n}}-ball.  The proof is identical.  Alternatively, [[integration by parts]] (or, more rigorously, the [[convolution#Differentiation|properties of convolution]]) gives
<math display="block">\Phi(\mathbf r) = -\frac{1}{n\omega_n} \int_{\mathbb R^n} \frac{\mathbf E(\mathbf r')\cdot (\mathbf r-\mathbf r')}{\|\mathbf r-\mathbf r'\|^n} \,dV(\mathbf r').</math>

== See also ==
* [[Gradient theorem]]
* [[Fundamental theorem of vector analysis]]
* [[Equipotential]] (isopotential) lines and surfaces

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commonscatinline|Scalar potential}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scalar Potential}}
[[Category:Potentials]]
[[Category:Vector calculus]]
[[Category:Scalar physical quantities|Potential]]