Physically understanding of dipolar

relaxation
• Consider what happens if the driving force (electrical
field) is suddenly switched off,
– after it has been constant for a sufficiently long time so that an
equilibrium distribution of dipoles could be obtained.
• We expect then that the dipoles will randomize, i.e. their
dipole moment or their polarization will go to zero.

• However, that cannot happen instantaneously.

– A specific dipole will have a certain orientation at the time the
field is switched off, and it will change that orientation only by
some interaction with other dipoles (or, in a solid, with phonons),
– in other words upon collisions or other "violent" encounters. It
will take a characteristic time, roughly the time between
collisions, before the dipole moment will have disappeared.
• Since we are discussing statistical events in this case, the
individual characteristic time for a given dipole will be small
for some, and large for others.
• But there will be an average value which we will call the
relaxation time  of the system. We thus expect a smooth
change over from the polarization with field to zero within
the relaxation time , or a behavior as shown below

• In formulas, we expect that P decays starting at the time of

the switch-off according to
Po(t)=Posexp(-t/ 
This simple equation describes the behavior of a simple
system like our "ideal" dipoles very well
 Depolarization from saturation
• Suppose a static filed is applied for a long time so that
it has reached to the saturation polarization, and then the
field is switched off, then

 
Po (t )  Pos exp t (2)
and Rate of depolarization

dPo (t )

    P (t )  P
 Pos exp t
o os  Po (t )
(3)
dt   
Because as t goes to infinity, Po (t) become zero. Hence we may write equation as
[Po(∞) –Po(t)]/  = dPo(t)/dt
 AC dipolar polarizability
• Recall: Physical understanding of dipole relaxation
On application of a static field, due to collision between dipoles,
polarization of the dipolar dielectric increases as

   
Po (t )  Pos 1  exp  t
Rate of Polarization
dP (t ) P exp     P  P (t )
t
os
 o
  os o
(1)
dt  
Here, Po(t) is the polarization at any instant of time and Pos is Po(∞)
the saturation (equilibrium) polarization for the instantaneous
applied field. τ is relaxation time or time constant.
 Now apply an alternating field
• Apply E (t )  E0 exp(it ) (4)
• The saturation polarization at any instant of
time will be given as
Pos (t )  N o (0) E (t );
 o (0)  static dipolar polarizability

How polarizability will change on application of

oscillatory field?
 How polarizability will change on application
of
oscillatory field?

• Form (1) polarizability will change as:

dPo (t ) Pos (t )  Po (t )

dt 
dPo (t ) Po (t ) Pos (t ) N o (0) E0 exp(it )
    (5)
dt   

The solution of this equation will have the same form as experienced field:

Po (t )  N 0 ( ) E0 exp(it ) (6)
 Desired equation of AC dipolar
polarizability
• Substitute (6) in (5) to obtain

d N o ( ) E0 exp(it ) N o (0) E0 exp(it )

N o ( ) E0 exp(it )  
dt  
N o ( ) E0 exp(it ) N o (0) E0 exp(it )
 i N o ( ) E0 exp(it )  
 
 i o ( )   o ( )   o (0)
 o (0)
  o ( )  (7)
1  i Use (7) and derive expressions for
real and complex part of dielectric
Constant and polarization.
 Total Polarizability

For Static Field :

 e2 e2  1 1   µp22
  e  i  o    2    
 m0 e 0i  M  M    3kT
2

For Oscilatory Field:

 2 2 
 e e
m m
μ  o (0) 
    
2ib 2ib 1  i 
  02e   2     2
0i   2
 
 m m 
Complete Frequency Dependence
of a Model Material

Note that  is on a logarithmic scale!

Summary
H2, N2

NaCl

H2O