electric susceptibility

electric susceptibility [i¦lek·trik sə‚sep·tə′bil·əd·ē]

(electricity)

A dimensionless parameter measuring the ease of polarization of a dielectric, equal (in meter-kilogram-second units) to the ratio of the polarization to the product of the electric field strength and the vacuum permittivity. Also known as dielectric susceptibility.

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Electric susceptibility

A dimensionless parameter measuring the ease of polarization of a dielectric. In a vacuum, the electric flux density D (measured in coulombs/m²) and electric field strength E (volts/m) are related by Eq. (1) where

(1) 

ε₀ is the permittivity of free space, having the value 8.854 × 10^-12 farad/m. In a dielectric material, polarization occurs, and the flux density has the value given by Eq. (2),

(2) 

where ε_r is the relative permittivity of the material and P is the polarization flux density. This can be written as Eq. (3), where &khgr;_e =

(3) 

ε_r - 1 is known as the electric susceptibility of the dielectric material. It is a measure of that part of the relative permittivity which is due to the material itself.

The electric susceptibility can be related to the polarizability α by expressing the polarization in terms of molecular parameters. Thus Eqs. (4)

(4) 

hold, where N is the number of molecules per unit volume, 〈 μ _avg〉 is their average dipole moment, and E _L is the local electric field strength at a molecular site. At low concentrations, E _L approaches E , and the susceptibility is proportional to the concentration N. For a discussion of the properties and measurement of electric susceptibility See Permittivity, Polarization of dielectrics