EQUIVALENT COULOMB CHARGE DISTRIBUTION AND ITS APPLICATION

The Coulomb interaction satisfying the inverse square law has unique significance in the field theory, the Gauss's theorem and describes the source property of the three-dimensional vector field. In this paper, other types of potentials such as Yukawa potential and harmonic oscillator potential are transformed into equivalent Coulomb charge distribution in the space. Therefore, the Gauss's theorem can be applied to calculate the field strength and other related physical quantities. An example of hard sphere scattering with uniform distribution of Yukawa charges is designed to show the advantages of this method. Although no significant improvement on the calculation workload, the equivalent Coulomb charge distribution has a clearer physical picture when dealing with the sizable particles. The conversion method and the specific examples can be used for reference to expand the teaching of field theory and related courses.