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A first spherical shell with charge $q$ followed by shells of charges $2(-1{)}^{n+1}q$ leaves enclosed charge $(-1{)}^{n+1}q$ after each shell. Gauss's law therefore gives the same squared electric field $q^2/(16{\pi }^2{ϵ}_0^2{r}^4)$ in every gap outside the first radius. Integrating the electrostatic energy density over all space gives $W=q^2/(8\pi {ϵ}_0{r}_1)$, independent of the other shell radii.

The grounded conducting plane supplies the induced charge needed for a uniform field between the plates and zero field above the upper plate. Gauss's law gives $E_z=-\sigma /{ϵ}_0$ in the gap. With electric potential zero at the grounded plate,Integrating the electrostatic energy density ${ϵ}_0|\mathbf{E}{|}^2/2$ across the gap gives the capacitor energy per unit areaFor an isolated upper plate, charge is fixed, so increasing $d$ to $(1+\alpha )d$ gives exactly $\Delta u=\frac{1}{2}\sigma V\alpha$, with $V$ its initial value. The positive increase equals the mechanical work done against attraction.

At fixed voltage, the new charge density is $\sigma /(1+\alpha )$, and the energy becomes $u/(1+\alpha )$. Consequently $\Delta u=-\frac{1}{2}\sigma V\alpha +O({\alpha }^2)$. Charge $\sigma \alpha +O({\alpha }^2)$ per unit area flows back to the voltage source, which receives energy $\sigma V\alpha +O({\alpha }^2)$. The externally supplied mechanical work is still $\frac{1}{2}\sigma V\alpha +O({\alpha }^2)$: the field loses half this returned electrical energy and the mechanical work supplies the other half. Thus the fixed-voltage capacitor energy balance includes both field and source energy.

For a conductor in electrostatic equilibrium, the interior field is zero and the surface is equipotential. The tangential exterior field is zero. A thin Gaussian pillbox gives the normal jump $E_{\mathrm{out}}\cdot \mathbf{n}-E_{\mathrm{in}}\cdot \mathbf{n}=\sigma /{ϵ}_0$. Thus, in vacuum and with $\mathbf{n}$ pointing out of the conductor,These are the electrostatic boundary conditions at a conductor.

To obtain electrostatic energy in field form, integrate over the space outside the conductors, cutting it off first at a large sphere. From the Maxwell equations, $\nabla \cdot \mathbf{E}=\rho /{ϵ}_0$ and $\mathbf{E}=-\nabla \varphi$, soOn a conductor boundary, the outward normal of the integration region points into the conductor, so its flux contribution is $-{\varphi }_i{Q}_i/{ϵ}_0$. At the remote outer boundary the flux integral tends to zero: for a localized charge distribution, $\varphi =O(1/r)$ and $\mathbf{E}=O(1/r^2)$. The divergence theorem therefore givesSince the field vanishes inside conductors,The field integral is over all space, although the charges occupy a finite volume. For a finite outer integration boundary there is additionally the term $({ϵ}_0/2)\oint \varphi \mathbf{E}\cdot d\mathbf{S}$.

For the electrostatic energy of alternating-charge concentric shells, the total enclosed charge after shell $n$ isBy spherical symmetry and Gauss's law, the field is zero for $r<r_1$, and in every subsequent gap, including outside the last shell,Although its direction alternates, its squared magnitude is the same in every gap. ConsequentlyThe coefficient of $1/r_1$ is $q^2/(8\pi {ϵ}_0)$, independent of the other radii and of the number of shells.

Let the electrolyte permittivity be $\epsilon$ and let ${\kappa }_D=1/{\ell }_D$ be the inverse Debye–Hückel screening length. We reserve $k$ for the imposed lateral wavevector. In the Debye–Hückel approximation, linearization about an electrically neutral bulk electrolyte givesaway from fixed charges. For ionic species of valence $z_i$ and bulk number density $n_i$, ${\kappa }_D^2={\sum }_i{n}_i{z}_i^2{e}^2/(\epsilon k_{B}T)$; the approximation requires $|z_{i}e\varphi |\ll k_{B}T$. Substitution of a lateral cosine into this screened Poisson equation leaves a vertical decay constantThe screened sinusoidal surface-charge mode thus decays faster than a laterally uniform charge mode. A nonzero $k$ retains a finite decay length even in the zero-salt limit.

The exterior media and their boundary conditions are not specified in the paper. Specifying the two surface charge densities alone does not fix the normal derivative on the inside unless the outside response is also fixed. We first take the confined-gap idealization, with the prescribed charge supplying all the displacement flux into the electrolyte between the sheets. The electrostatic interface boundary conditions are thenThis is, for example, the limit of negligible exterior displacement admittance. The electrostatic potential solving these conditions and the Debye–Hückel approximation equation isDifferentiation checks the two surface signs directly. This solution allows a sine as well as a cosine lateral component when the phase is nonzero.

In linear screened electrostatics, the quadratic charging free energy is $\frac{1}{2}\int \sigma \varphi dA$. It is equivalently $\frac{\epsilon }{2}\int [(\nabla \varphi {)}^2+{\kappa }_D^2{\varphi }^2]dV$ with the stated boundary conditions. The second term represents the linearized ionic response; integrating only the bare electric field energy would omit it. If $\mathcal{A}$ denotes membrane area, the wavelength-averaged energy density isUsing $⟨{\cos }^2(kx){⟩}_x=1/2$ and $⟨\cos (kx)\cos (kx+\theta ){⟩}_x=\cos \theta /2$ gives the phase registration of screened charged sheets energyThe positive cosine coefficient shows that, for nonzero charge amplitude and finite separation,At the minimum the electrostatic potential simplifies to $\varphi =\alpha \cos (kx)\sinh (pz)/[\epsilon p\cosh (pd/2)]$. Positive and negative charge patches face opposite signs across the gap. The two charge patterns therefore favor a half-wavelength lateral offset rather than like-charge alignment.

For comparison, if identical electrolyte fills all of space on both sides of infinitesimally thin charge sheets, the electrostatic interface boundary conditions are continuity of $\varphi$, decay at infinity, and the charge-induced derivative jumpsSuperposing the two screened sinusoidal surface-charge modes gives, in particular between the sheets,Its full-space continuation replaces each vertical distance by the corresponding absolute distance. Evaluating the electrostatic potential on both sheets now yieldsThe constant term is the two isolated-sheet self energies, and the cosine term is their screened interaction. The energy depends on the exterior convention, but both stated physical idealizations give the same phase registration of screened charged sheets: unlike charge patches oppose each other. In the full-space convention the optimum interaction energy is $-{\alpha }^2{e}^{-pd}/(4\epsilon p)$, giving an attractive normal force density $-{\alpha }^2{e}^{-pd}/(4\epsilon )$. Phase sensitivity becomes exponentially weak for $pd\gg 1$; if $\alpha =0$ or the separation tends to infinity there is no selected phase.

One can also display how an exterior dielectric response interpolates between these cases. Let $Y_o\ge 0$ be its normal displacement admittance for this lateral Fourier mode: $Y_o=0$ for the confined-gap idealization, $Y_o=\epsilon p$ for identical exterior electrolyte, and $Y_o={\epsilon }_o|k|$ for an ion-free exterior dielectric. DefineThe symmetric and antisymmetric surface-charge combinations giveSince $D_s<D_a$, its cosine coefficient is positive. This makes the phase-minimizing conclusion robust while exposing the boundary information needed for an absolute electrostatic energy.

In electrostatics, Gauss's law is ${\oint }_{\partial \Omega }\mathbf{E}\cdot \mathbf{n}dS=Q_{\mathrm{enclosed}}/{ϵ}_0$, or locally $\nabla \cdot \mathbf{E}={\rho }_e/{ϵ}_0$, where ${\rho }_e$ is charge density and ${ϵ}_0$ is vacuum permittivity. Spherical symmetry makes the electric field radial, and Gauss's law givesChoose the additive constant of the electrostatic potential by $\varphi (\infty )=0$. Using $\mathbf{E}=-\nabla \varphi$ and continuity of potential across each charged shell givesThe field jumps at the shell surfaces, so the displayed formulas are for the requested open regions. The potential difference of the spherical capacitor is $\Delta \varphi =Q(1/a-1/b)/(4\pi {ϵ}_0)$. Thus its capacitance and electrostatic energy areThe energy follows either by charging work ${\int }_0^{Q}q/Cdq$, or directly from $W=({ϵ}_0/2)\int |\mathbf{E}{|}^2{d}^{3}x=Q^2(1/a-1/b)/(8\pi {ϵ}_0)$.

Use $\mathbf{E}=-\nabla \varphi$ and Gauss's law $\nabla \cdot \mathbf{E}=\rho /{ϵ}_0$. The divergence theorem and the decay at infinity giveMultiplying by $1/2$ proves that the two expressions for the electrostatic energy agree.

The uniform volume charge density in the thick shell isSpherical symmetry and the integral form of Gauss's law giveThus $|\mathbf{E}|$ is zero inside, rises continuously through the charged region, reaches $Q/(4\pi {ϵ}_0{b}^2)$ at $b$, and then decays as $r^{-2}$. Taking $\varphi (\infty )=0$ and integrating $E=-d\varphi /dr$ givesThe electric potential is continuous, constant inside, decreases smoothly across the charge, and continues as $1/r$ outside.

As $b\to a$, the charge becomes a surface shell. ThenThe potential remains continuous, but the normal electric field jumps by $Q/(4\pi {ϵ}_0{a}^2)$ across the surface charge density.

The field-energy expression givesThe charge-potential expression gives the same result directly because the entire charge lies where the potential equals $\varphi (a)$:This is the electrostatic energy of a uniformly charged spherical shell.

Since $\varphi (a)=Q/(4\pi {ϵ}_{0}a)$ is proportional to $Q$,to first order. This is the work required to bring the additional charge $\delta Q$ from infinity to the potential created by the charge already present.

Let $r$ be distance from the common centre. By Gauss's law, the electric field is radial and equalsTaking the electric potential to vanish at infinity and requiring continuity across each shell gives

The electrostatic energy is the integral of the electric-field energy density:Only the two nonzero-field regions contribute, soTherefore

Gauss's law in electrostatics statesCylindrical symmetry and a coaxial Gaussian cylinder giveThe field vanishes inside each perfect conductor, and outside the cable because the total enclosed charge per unit length is zero.

Choose the outer conductor's potential to be zero. Since $E=-\nabla V$,The capacitance per unit length is thereforeThe electrostatic energy per unit length isSubstitution of $C$ verifies $U=Q^2/(2C)$.

Two concentric conducting spherical shells of radii $a<b$ with charges $Q,-Q$ have an electric field only in the intervening vacuum: $E_r=Q/(4\pi {ϵ}_0{r}^2)$ by Gauss's law. Integrating gives a potential difference $Q(1/a-1/b)/(4\pi {ϵ}_0)$, and hence the displayed capacitance. The electrostatic energy is $Q^2/(2C)$, either by charging work or by integrating ${ϵ}_0|E{|}^2/2$ over the gap.