Dielectrics: the mediun

can move through

Itis a medium having no free charges which
under the influence of an external electric field.

4.1 Macroscopic and microscopic fields:

electric field gets it
when a dielectric medium is subjected in an external
has twJ Components.
polarised. The electric field at a point, with in the dielectric
O n e component is due to the applied .eld. The other
contributior is that of the
can be calculated
polarisation called the dipole field. The field due to polarisation
of
a macroscopic point
Dy eaung the dipoles both from a molecular and from
View. On the molecular scale we consider the fields of the
individual dipoles. The
vector sum of the fields of the individual dipoles at a point
is called the
the

microscopic field. Itis given by. e , e +e +e, t

direction. It
This field will very from point to point both in magnitude and
becomes very large near the surfaces of the nuclei.

On the macroscopic scale, we shall consider only the average field

produced by arge number of dipoles. The average field produced by large
number of dipolas per unit volume is called the macroscopic field. It is denoted as

E This field is a much smoother quantity than the microscopic field. It adds to
the applied field to produce the total macroscopic field. (E).

E =E +E,

field
Miroscopic field

Macroscopic field

O alomic position
 The macroscopic field e
is n
defined
ed as
the unit cell. as the average field over the volume of
the average E

4.2 Polarization:
When a
dielectric medium is
ana
subiected to an external eieu
positive negative charges in a molecule are
disolaced in opposite
Hence eacn molecule becomes an electric dioole. . The medium will directions
nave a
net

dipole moment. No, the dielectric is said to be

polarised. Each will
posses an hauced diole moment. The molu
external field can also polariZe a

dielectriC, Dy reorienting the moieuiles which have permanent dipole momenis

(polar molecules). The electric polarisation P is defined as the dipole moment per
unit volume averaged over the volume of a unit cell of the crysta.

Suppose p is the average dipole moment per dipalo and N is the numoer

of dipoles per unit volume. Then.

P Np. Then total dipole moment of a charge distribution is independent

a
of the origin chosen provided the net charge in the system is zero. asm
molecule).

4.3 Depolarisation Field

an external electric field Eo, it is

When a thin dielectric is [ubjected to
the medium E = Eg E
The total macroscopic field inside
uniformly polarised.
surface
due to polarisation. It can be calculated from the
when E is the field
surface of the specimen.
n on the outer
charge density, o =
p.

+ +

directions. The
are in opposite
field E;, and Eo
medium the
With in the depolarization field.
lt is called the
the medium..
depolarize
field E, will try to
 Suppose the specimen is in the form of an ellipsoid. Then the uniform
polarisation will produce uniform depolarization fied.

P
(i.e)E,
NP
E (1)

where N is a constant called the depolarization factor. It determines the strength

of the depolarization field (E1).

The value of N depends upon the shape of the specimen and the direction
considered. Let P , Py & P,be the components of P along the 3 axes of the

ellipsoid. Then the eqn (1), can be written in the component from as follows.

Ex =-N,P

Ey -N, Py
Eo

E -N, P
Eo

N,, N, and Nz are the depolarization factors for the three axes. They
have positive values and satisfy the condition N , + N,y + Nz = 1. The following

table gives the values of N for few special cases.

Shape of Specimen Direction considered N

Sphere Any direction

Thin slab Normal to the plane

Parallel to the plane 0

Cylinder Along the axis 0

Normal to the axis

be reduced to zero by using a specimen in the

The depolarization field can

form of a long fine wire.

 A4 Dielectric susceptibility:
Suppose an external electric field
E induces an uniform polarisation P in
an ellipsoid Then P is related to the total
Specimen by the following eqn.
macroscopic field E inside the

(i.e.)P Eo X E
(1)
where, x is a dimensionless constant called electrical susceptibility of the
dielectric medium. It depends upon the nature of the medium. Suppose the
applied field is uniform and parallel to the principal axis of the ellipsoid then,

E E E

But, E, = -NP

E =E - NP

uSing this in eqn (1) we get,

P Eo X E, -x NP

(1+ N) P= ¬o z Eo

P oZEo
1+xN
nature of the material) and
P depends upon x (ie
Thus the polarisation
aIso on N (ie the geometric
shape of the specimen).

N, From the above eqn.

large compared to
Suppose x is very

PSoX Eo SoEo
N
+N
 limit, the
In this limit,
magnitude
maqnit.
1 to N.
Because is negligible compared
. When de
polarisation is determined by the shape
pecimen.
of the specimen.
we
we

should etermine
avoid
the dielectric Susceptibility of
a
material
experimentally,
ths
situation.

4.5 Local electric field at an atom: (Eioc) atom in a crystal . t

of an is
field at the site
It is defined as the microscopic
molecule).
the actual field acting on the atom (or

from E inside the

different from the
macroscopic field
It is significantly
specimen.

Note:
field due to tho
loc has two components; (i) applied field (ii) dipole the

dipoles

. Eloe E, +Edipole

Eofora spherical crystal, with cubic symmetry:

Z axis

i th dipole

O is an atom at the centre of a spherical crystal with cubic symmetry. The

crystal is polarised along the Z direction by an external field E. All the dipoles
to the axis and the le is
are parallel z magnitude of the dipole
moment of each dipolE
p. Consider the i" dipole at r, from O. Then the field at O due to the ith dipole,

3(P) P
4 Tt &o
 where p, = p Z

Suppose (X1. Yi, Z,) are c0-ordinates of the ih dipole.

then,

rX,X +Y, y +z,z

P. pZ

andr x, +y+z?

ei 1 3p Z-+y+z)pz
4 T Eo

the Z Component of e is,

=P 3 z-+y? +z?)
ez4 1T Eo

ez
2 22--y
4 t Eo

in
the fields at O due to all the dipoles
Now, the sum of the Z components of
field.
the crystal is called the dipole

2-x-Y
. E dipole 4 T 0o

in the crystal.
over all the dipoles
summation runs
wnere the
the x, y
shape of the crystal,
and the spherical
5ecause of cubic symmetry
&z directions are equivalent.
 e

individual dipoles,
The net field due to the

E dipole 0

field.
that of the applied
The other contribution to the local field is

E oc Eo +Edipole

E oc E
inside the crystal E = Eo+ Ei where E, is the
The macroscopic field
depolarization field
E =E - E,

But E, F - NP

(negative sign shows that P & E1, are in opposite directions).

For a spherical crystal N

E,

P
E E+ 3E

P
E oc E+
3 E

Thus we find that the local field is greater than the macroscopic field Dy a
P
amount -. It is called the local field correction.
3E
 E for a general lattice with a general geometrical shape:
Consider a crystal having some
general lattice (not-necessarily cubic) and
a general geometric shape. It is polarised uniformly by an external field Eo. Let us
calculate the local field (E foc) at the site of an atom at 0. Consider a sphere of

radius 'a (a 50A°) with O as the centre. Imagine that this sphere is removed
leaving a spherical cavity at its place. Now the following fields act at O.

Eo

(i) Eo. The applied field

(ii) E1, the depolarization field due to the uniform.

polarisation outside the cavity. This field can be calculated from the
surface change density.

o = n. P

on the outer surface of the crystal

polarisation changes on the inner surface of

(ii) E, -

The field due to the

field.
the cavity. It is called the Lorentz cavity

the field due to the individual dipoles with in the imaginary

(iv) E -

sphere.
T h e net field at O,

Er+Ez +Es
E1oc Eo
other
is the dipole field at the
atom 0, due to all the
Here (E Ez + Ea)
dipoles in the crystal.
 3 (o, i - 2 P .
EE+ Es TE
were the summation run over all the dipoles except O. Now, T0r
ntegrals.
the dipola
One
es
two surface integrals. On
replaced by
summation may be
outside the sphere, the which gives E. The
specimen,
outer surface
of the
integration is taken over the cavity which gives E2.
surface of the
ntegration is taken over the inner

To calculate the Lorentz cavity field E2

with the polarisation
in the specimen
he fig shows the cavity imagined P
axis along the
polarisation
charges on its surface. Take the polar

a sin 6
ad 0

e d
O a

Consider a ring of width a de in the cavity. Then the surface charge

density on the ring.

=n. P

where n is the unit outward normal to the surface of the cavity.

= -P cos

Total surface charge on the ring

=
a X surface area of the ring.

a x2 n a sin 6 xad e

- P cos 0 2 n a sin 6 d 6

228
 due to this ring
Field at O

-1 2nPa sin 0 cos 0 d 0

4 Tt &o a

P
sin 0 cos 0 d 0.
2 Eo

Component of this field along P

P sin cos 0 d 0 x cos 0.

2 E0

(negative sign is ignored since we consider the component of a field along P)

The field at O due to the charges on the whole cavity.

E2 sin 0 cos 0 d 0

sin 0 cos 0 d

P
E 2 &0 % 2o

E2 3PEo

This is Lorentz cavity field.

To find E3 the sphere. This is

to the individual dipoles with in
due
This is the field structure. lts
calculation is
upon the crystal
the only term that depends
structure other
than cubic.
complicated for crystal

o0
 +E.
Eo+ ,
+
Eroc 36
Then
cubic symmetry.
structure has a
Suppose the crystal

Es 0
proved in the
l case).
(as

P
Then Eroc = Eo +
E 3 60

field at the site of.

called the Lorentz
relation. gives the local
It an
This equation is
and general shape.
atom in a crystal with cubic symmetry

the specimen is
But the macroscopic field inside

Etoe E +_
3 Eo

Corollary 1:
Suppose the crystal is in the form of a sphere and has cubic symmetry

By Lorentz relation,

3 E0

Now, De polarisation field,

E NI

Eo

For a
spherical crystal, N =
%
 The Lorentz relation
becomes,

P
Eoc E P =Eo
3 Eo 3 Eo

This agrees with the previous result.

Corollary 2:
Suppose the crystal is in the form of a thin slab with the polarisation P
normal to its plane. Then,

N 1

Eroc =Eo P PA

. .
Ecoc =
Eo
&o -
Ecoc o -2P
3 Eo

4.6 Dielectric Constant

The dielectric co-eff (or) dielectric constant of an isotropic medium is

defined as,

EE+P
o E

field in the specimen.

& E is the macroscopic
Where P is the polarisation

P
E,1+-
E E