Charge and force on a conducting sphere between two parallel electrodes

This paper generalizes the study by Félici (Rev. Gén. Électr. 75 (1966) 1145) of the electric force on a conducting sphere near a plane electrode subject to an external electric field. The solution is applied to the study of a spherical conductor between two plane electrodes and its range of validity is established. Analytical expressions are provided for the coefficients of capacity of the electrostatic system formed by the sphere and the two electrodes along with the factor of enhancement of the electric field between the sphere and the nearest electrode. The analytical results are compared with those obtained using finite element method.