Charged conducting sphere in a slowly varying electric field ($U(R)\simeq k{Q}_1{Q}_2/R-k{Q}_1^2{a}^3/(2R^4)$)

A small conducting sphere of radius $a$ has electric polarizability $\alpha =4\pi {ϵ}_0{a}^3=a^3/k$. In the field $E\simeq k{Q}_1/R^2$ of a much more strongly charged distant source, its leading induced contribution is $-\alpha E^2/2$, in addition to $k{Q}_1{Q}_2/R$ for its fixed net charge. Taking $-dU/dR$ gives $F_R\simeq k{Q}_1{Q}_2/R^2-2k{Q}_1^2{a}^3/R^5$. The approximation requires $a/R\ll 1$ and control of the source's finite-size corrections; the threshold is not an exact finite-sphere result.