Surface force induced by a point charge in multilayered dielectrics

- Provided rigorous formulation for calculating the electrostatic surface force.
- Determined dimensionless governing parameters and their influence on surface force.
- Suggested how the direction, magnitude and distribution of the surface force may be modulated.

Local surface force density and total force induced by a point charge embedded in a three-layered dielectric system are calculated. The two ratios between the dielectric constants of the three layers are found to play a primary role: they determine the direction of the surface force density and total force, as well as distribution of the surface force density, which can vary monotonically or non-monotonically with the radial position. The position of the charge, however, only affects the magnitude of the forces. The formulation can be extended to establish a theoretical framework for situations involving a distribution of charges.