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I was solving this problem:

Whose answer is given as:

I understand the part for calculating the field outside the cylinder, but for inside, I don't get it. If we apply Ampère's circuital law by taking a circle of radius $r$, then the current enclosed is $0$, so why is the field non zero? Also, the field isn't even dependent on $r$ in the answer. I also don't get how the $\theta$ is the angle shown in the above image after straightening the strip. Is this solution correct? Where is my reasoning wrong?

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2 Answers 2

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Let's approach this intuitively. I assume that before doing this problem you have tried to do other simple configurations. For example, if the current is directed along the surface of the tube in the longitudinal direction, the field inside would be zero, and outside it would go as in Fig. 1.

enter image description here
Figure 1: Jfmelero, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Another typical example is the magnetic field created by a long solenoid, shown in Fig. 2. Here we assume the turns are tightly wrapped and close enough so that the current can be thought of as going in the $\hat{\varphi}$ direction in cylindrical coordinates. Notice how in this case the field is zero outside. Inside, it goes in the $\hat{z}$-direction.

enter image description here
Figure 2: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Now, in your problem, the current is tilted. There is a component $J_z=J\sin\theta$ which goes along the direction of the tube, and a component $J_\varphi =J\cos\theta$ that goes in the azimuthal direction. So we expect a field outside as in Fig. 1 caused by $J_z$ and a field inside as in Fig. 2 caused by $J_\varphi$. This explains the square root factor $$\sqrt{1-\left(\frac{h}{2\pi R}\right)^2}$$ that appears in the inside field. It's only that fraction of the total current that's responsible for the field inside.

If we apply Ampère's circuital law by taking a circle of radius $r$, then the current enclosed is 0, so why is the field non zero?

That is true. But that integration loop is not useful in this case, since the field inside goes along the tube, and therefore is perpendicular to the loop at every point, making $\int\mathbf B\cdot d\mathbf l$ identically zero. You need to choose a loop that has a nonzero contribution to $\int\mathbf B\cdot d\mathbf l$ along some part of it. It may be useful to revisit the case shown in Fig. 2 (the solenoid).

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You can think of this situation as being a combination of two effects: 1. a long ideal solenoid with a current flowing around the cylinder, no field outside, and a uniform field inside; and 2. a cylindrical conductor with a uniform current flowing along its length, with no field inside, and a circling field outside which decreases with increasing radius. Use the indicated angle to get the current density in each direction, and Ampere's law to find the corresponding fields.

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