Displacement Current

By: Dr. Ahmed M. Attiya

Recall Amperes p Law

r r B d s = I 0 enc

Imagine a wire connected to a charging or discharging capacitor. The area in the Amperian loop could be stretched into the open region of the capacitor. In this case there would be current passing p g through g the loop, p but not through g the area bounded by the loop.

If Amperes Law still holds, there must be a magnetic field generated by the changing E-field E field between the plates. This induced B-field makes it look like there is a current (call it the displacement current) passing through the plates.

Amperes p Law and the Continuity y Equation

The differential form of Amperes law in the static case is The Th continuity i i equation i i is

H = J

qev 0 J = t

Amperes p Law and the Continuity y Equation (Contd)

In the time-varying case, Amperes law in the y above form is inconsistent with the continuity equation

J = ( H ) = 0

!!!!!!!!!!!

Amperes p Law and the Continuity y Equation (Contd)

To resolve this inconsistency, Maxwell p law to read modified Amperes

D H = J c + t
conduction d i current density displacement current density

Amperes p Law and the Continuity y Equation (Contd)

The new form of Amperes law is consistent y equation q as well as with with the continuity the differential form of Gausss law

J c + ( D ) = ( H ) = 0 t
qev

Displacement p Current
Amperes law can be written as

H = J c + J d
where
D Jd = = displaceme nt current density (A/m 2 ) t

Displacement p Current ( (Contd) )

Displacement current is the type of current that t at flows o s bet between ee the t e plates p ates of o a capacitor. Displacement current is the mechanism which allows electromagnetic waves to propagate in a non non-conducting conducting medium medium. Displacement current is a consequence of the h three h experimental i l pillars ill of f electromagnetics and wireless systems.

Displacement p Current in a Capacitor

Consider id a parallel-plate ll l l capacitor i with i h plates l of area A separated by a dielectric of permittivity and thickness d and connected to an ac generator:
z

A
z=d z=0

ic id

+
v (t ) = V0 cos t

Displacement Current in a Capacitor (Contd)

The electric field and displacement flux density in the capacitor is given by
V0 v(t ) z z cos t E = a = a d d V0 D = E = a z cos t d
assume fringing is negligible

Th The di displacement l t current td density it i is given i by

V0 D z Jd = =a sin t t d

Displacement p Current in a Capacitor (Contd)

The displacement current is given by
Id = J d d s = Jd A =
S

A
d

V0 sin t
conduction current in wire

dv = CV0 sin t = C = Ic dt

Conduction to Displacement p Current Ratio

Consider a conducting medium characterized by y conductivity y and p permittivity y . The conduction current density is given by Jc = E The displacement p current density y is given g by y E Jd = t

Conduction to Displacement p Current Ratio (Contd)

Assume that the electric field is a sinusoidal function of time: Then, Th
E = E0 cos t
J c = E0 cos t J d = E0 sin t

Conduction to Displacement p Current Ratio (Contd)

We have
Jc Jd
max max

= E0 = E0

Therefore
J c max Jd
max

 The value of the quantity / at a specified q y determines the p properties p of the frequency medium at that given frequency. In a metallic conductor conductor, the displacement current is negligible below optical frequencies. In free space (or other perfect dielectric), the conduction current is zero and only displacement current can exist.

Conduction to Displacement p Current Ratio (Contd)

Conduction to Displacement p Current Ratio (Contd)

10 10 10 10 10 10
6

Humid Soil ( r = 30, = 10 -2 S/m)

good conductor

10 10 10 10 10

-1

-2

-3

good insulator
-4

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

Frequency (Hz)

Complex Permittivity
In a good insulator, the conduction current (due y negligible. g g to non-zero ) is usually However, at high frequencies, the rapidly varying electric field has to do work against molecular forces in alternately polarizing the bound electrons. electrons The result is that P is not necessarily in phase with E, and the electric susceptibility susceptibility, and hence the dielectric constant, are complex.

Complex p Permittivity y( (Contd) )

The complex dielectric constant can be written as

c = j

S Substituting b i i the h complex l di dielectric l i constant into the differential frequency-domain form of Amperes law, we have

H = E + j E +

Complex p Permittivity y( (Contd) )

The term E2 is the basis for microwave g of dielectric materials. heating I In tabulating b l i the h di dielectric l i properties i of f materials, it is customary to specify the real part of the dielectric constant ( / 0) and the loss tangent (tan) defined as

tan = =

Example