释义 |
Harmonic FunctionAny real-valued function with continuous second Partial Derivatives which satisfiesLaplace's Equation
 | (1) |
is called a harmonic function. Harmonic functions are called Potential Functions in physicsand engineering. Potential functions are extremely useful, for example, inelectromagnetism, where they reduce the study of a 3-component Vector Field toa 1-component Scalar Function. A scalar harmonic function is called a Scalar Potential, and a vectorharmonic function is called a Vector Potential.
To find a class of such functions in the Plane, write the Laplace's Equation in Polar Coordinates
 | (2) |
and consider only radial solutions
 | (3) |
This is integrable by quadrature, so define ,
 | (4) |
 | (5) |
 | (6) |
 | (7) |
 | (8) |
 | (9) |
so the solution is
 | (10) |
Ignoring the trivial additive and multiplicative constants, the general pure radial solution then becomes
 | (11) |
Other solutions may be obtained by differentiation, such as
and
 | (16) |
Harmonic functions containing azimuthal dependence include
The Poisson Kernel
 | (19) |
is another harmonic function.See also Scalar Potential, Vector Potential References
Potential TheoryAsh, J. M. (Ed.) Studies in Harmonic Analysis. Washington, DC: Math. Assoc. Amer., 1976. Axler, S.; Pourdon, P.; and Ramey, W. Harmonic Function Theory. Springer-Verlag, 1992. Benedetto, J. J. Harmonic Analysis and Applications. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 1996. Cohn, H. Conformal Mapping on Riemann Surfaces. New York: Dover, 1980.
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