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The dielectric constant er "somehow" describes the
interaction of dielectric (i.e. more or less insulating) materials and
electrical fields; e.g. via the equations Þ |
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D is the electrical
displacement or electrical flux density, sort of replacing E in the Maxwell equations whenever materials
are encountered. |
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C is the capacity of a parallel
plate capacitor (plate area A, distance d) that is
"filled" with a dielectric with er |
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n is the index of refraction; a
quantity that "somehow" describes how electromagnetic fields with
extremely high frequency interact with matter.
in this equaiton it is assumed that the material has no magnetic properties at
the frequency of light. |
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Electrical fields inside dielectrics
polarize the material, meaning that the vector sum of electrical dipoles inside
the material is no longer zero. |
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The decisive quantities are the dipole moment
µ, a vector, and the Polarization P, a vector,
too. |
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Note: The dipole moment vector points from the
negative to the positive charge - contrary to the electrical field vector! |
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The dipoles to be polarized are either already
present in the material (e.g. in H2O or in ionic crystals) or
are induced by the electrical field (e.g. in single atoms or covalently bonded
crystals like Si) |
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The dimension of the polarization
P is [C/cm2] and is indeed identical to
the net charge found on unit area ion the surface of a polarized
dielectric. |
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The equivalent of "Ohm's
law", linking current density to field strength in conductors is the
Polarization law: |
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The decisive material parameter is
c
("kee"), the dielectric
susceptibility |
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The "classical" flux density
D and the Polarization are linked as shown. In essence,
P only considers what happens in the material, while
D looks at the total effect: material plus the field that induces
the polarization. |
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Polarization by necessity moves
masses (electrons and / or atoms) around, this will not happen arbitrarily
fast. |
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er
or c thus must be functions of the frequency
of the applied electrical field, and we want to consider the whole frequency
range from RF via HF to light and beyond. |
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er(w) is called
the "dielectric function" of the material. |
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The tasks are:
- Identify and (quantitatively) describe the major mechanisms of
polarization.
- Justify the assumed linear relationship between P and
c.
- Derive the dielectric function for a given material.
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© H. Föll