A regularization approach for solving Poisson's equation with singular charge sources and diffuse interfaces

Abstract: Singular charge sources in terms of Dirac delta functions present a well-known numerical challenge for solving Poisson's equation. For a sharp interface between inhomogeneous media, singular charges could be analytically treated by fundamental solutions or regularization methods. However, no analytical treatment is known in the literature in case of a diffuse interface of complex shape. This letter reports the first such regularization method that represents the Coulomb potential component analytically by Green's functions to account for singular charges. The other component, i.e., the reaction field potential, then satisfies a regularized Poisson equation with a smooth source and the original elliptic operator. The regularized equation can then be simply solved by any numerical method. For a spherical domain with diffuse interface, the proposed regularization method is numerically validated and compared with a semi-analytical quasi-harmonic method.