Past exam of the physics 2 paper of the University of Oxford / 2015 / 3 / Solution

Use the geometric cross-section shown in the source: the outer cylinder has radius $2a$ and centre $O$, and the circular cavity has radius $a$ and centre $C=a\hat{\mathbf{x}}$. Let the electric current be in the $+z$ direction. The conducting cross-sectional area is $3\pi a^2$, so the uniform electric current density is $\mathbf{J}=I\hat{\mathbf{z}}/(3\pi a^2)$.

To obtain the exterior magnetic field of a wire with an eccentric cylindrical cavity, apply the superposition principle to a full cylinder of electric current density $\mathbf{J}$ centred at $O$ and a second cylinder of electric current density $-\mathbf{J}$ centred at $C$. Their electric currents are $4I/3$ and $-I/3$. This reproduces the actual electric current density everywhere, including zero in the cavity. Outside a long circular cylinder, Ampère's law gives $\mathbf{B}={\mu }_0{I}_{\mathrm{cyl}}\hat{\mathbf{z}}\times \mathbf{r}/(2\pi r^2)$. Every point outside the outer boundary is outside both component cylinders. Consequently, writing $\mathbf{r}=x\hat{\mathbf{x}}+y\hat{\mathbf{y}}$,In Cartesian coordinates, the same magnetic flux density isThe cavity breaks rotational symmetry. Thus the magnetic flux density is generally neither constant in magnitude nor tangential on a circle centred at $O$; replacing its line integral by $2\pi rB$ would be unjustified. Its line integral is nevertheless ${\mu }_{0}I$, as Ampère's law requires. At distances $r\gg a$, the leading term becomes ${\mu }_{0}I\hat{\mathbf{\varphi }}/(2\pi r)$, with corrections of order ${\mu }_{0}Ia/r^2$.