Logarithmic Equilibrium on the Sphere in the Presence of Multiple Point Charges

Abstract

With the sphere $\mathbb{S}^2 \subset \mathbb{R}^3$ as a conductor holding a unit charge with logarithmic interactions, we consider the problem of determining the support of the equilibrium measure in the presence of an external field consisting of finitely many point charges on the surface of the sphere. We determine that for any such configuration, the complement of the equilibrium support is the stereographic preimage from the plane of a union of classical quadrature domains, whose orders sum to the number of point charges.