Continuum limit of nonlocal electrostatics in random media

We derive a two-scale continuum limit for the electrostatic energy of random charge density fields that are stationary and ergodic under lattice translations. Each microscopic cell is charge neutral in every realization, while its dipole moment may fluctuate and have a nonzero mean. Under assumptions on the stationary microscopic potential and the finite-volume fields, the local and nonlocal energies converge almost surely to deterministic limits. The local limit consists of the ensemble-averaged microscopic Coulomb energy and a cell-depolarization term, whereas the effective polarization determines the nonlocal limit. The cell-depolarization terms cancel in the total energy, which consists of the ensemble-averaged microscopic cell energy and the macroscopic electrostatic field energy. The deterministic specialization recovers the periodic two-scale limit. For an independent-cell random-displacement model, we verify the assumptions of the continuum-limit theorem and show that centered microscopic fluctuations can change the local energy without changing the effective polarization or the nonlocal energy.

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Publication Details

Journal
Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids
Published
2026-10-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/10812865261494975
Primary Topic
Advanced Mathematical Modeling in Engineering
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Continuum limit of nonlocal electrostatics in random media

Kaushik Dayal, Prashant K. Jha
Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids
Advanced Mathematical Modeling in Engineering
article

Continuum limit of nonlocal electrostatics in random media

Kaushik Dayal, Prashant K. Jha
article en

Abstract

We derive a two-scale continuum limit for the electrostatic energy of random charge density fields that are stationary and ergodic under lattice translations. Each microscopic cell is charge neutral in every realization, while its dipole moment may fluctuate and have a nonzero mean. Under assumptions on the stationary microscopic potential and the finite-volume fields, the local and nonlocal energies converge almost surely to deterministic limits. The local limit consists of the ensemble-averaged microscopic Coulomb energy and a cell-depolarization term, whereas the effective polarization determines the nonlocal limit. The cell-depolarization terms cancel in the total energy, which consists of the ensemble-averaged microscopic cell energy and the macroscopic electrostatic field energy. The deterministic specialization recovers the periodic two-scale limit. For an independent-cell random-displacement model, we verify the assumptions of the continuum-limit theorem and show that centered microscopic fluctuations can change the local energy without changing the effective polarization or the nonlocal energy.

Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (US), Carnegie Mellon University (US)
National Science Foundation, Carnegie Mellon University, South Dakota Board of Regents, Directorate for Engineering, Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation, Army Research Office
Openalex Percentile: Top 28%
Advanced Mathematical Modeling in Engineering
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