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Deriving Clausius and Local Field Equations

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22 views4 pages

Deriving Clausius and Local Field Equations

Uploaded by

abuwaleed5789
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Derivation of Clausius

and Local Field


Equations
by
Mostafa Hafez
Local Field Equation Derivation
Consider a dielectric with a spherical cavity as shown in fig.
For the point O, electric field comes from four sources:
1. Free charges Qfree on the electrodes, represented by
Eo.
2. Polarization charges on the plate surfaces A,
represented by Edep.
3. Polarization charges on the inner surface of the
spherical cavity S, represented
1. by ES.
4. Individual dipoles within the cavity, represented by Edipoles.
Thus,
Eloc = Eo + Edep + ES + Edipoles = E + ES + Edipoles
For cubic crystals, amorphous solids and liquids, the intrinsic dipoles cancel out.
Therefore:
Eloc = E + ES
We take a spherical shell around O with radius a and differential area dS = 2πa sin
θ (a dθ)
We are interested in field at O from dQp, which is the differential charge on the
differential surface element with area dS.
𝑑𝑄𝑝 𝑃 ∗ 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 ∗ 2𝜋𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 ∗ 𝑎 𝑑𝜃
𝑑𝐸𝑠 = ∗ cos 𝜃 = ∗ 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃
4𝜋𝜖0 𝑎2 4𝜋𝜖0 𝑎2
To find total field, we perform integration:
𝜋
𝑃 ∗ 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 ∗ 2𝜋𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 ∗ 𝑎 𝑑𝜃 1
𝐸𝑠 = ∫ ∗ 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 = 𝑃
0 4𝜋𝜖0 𝑎2 3𝜖0

𝟏
Therefore Elocal = 𝑬 + 𝑷
𝟑𝝐𝟎

Clausius-Mossotti Equation Derivation


Suppose that a dielectric medium is made up of identical molecules that develop a
dipole moment

when placed in an electric field . The constant 𝛼 is called the molecular


polarizability. If N is the number density of such molecules then the polarization of
the medium is

=>

For the figure in the previous page, we assume that the dielectric inside the sphere
O as separate molecules, and that outside as a continuous medium. The surface of
the sphere is intended to represent the boundary between the microscopic and the
macroscopic ranges of phenomena affecting the molecules.

For this sphere, there is a bound surface charge equal to

We use coulomb’s law to calculate the electric field by integration along the same
differential surface element dS mentioned in the previous page:

The electric field a distance from a dipole P is

It is assumed that the dipole moments of the molecules within the sphere are all the
same, and also that the molecules are evenly distributed throughout the sphere.
This being the case, the value of Ez at the molecule due to all of the other
molecules within in the sphere,

is zero, because, for evenly distributed molecules,


and

It is also easily demonstrated that 𝐸𝜃 = 𝐸𝜙 = 0 . Hence, the electric field at the


molecule due to the other molecules within the sphere averages to zero.

It is clear that the net electric field experienced by an individual molecule is

which is larger than the average electric field, E0 , in the dielectric. The above
analysis indicates that this effect is ascribable to the long range (rather than the
short range) interactions of the molecule with the other molecules in the medium.
Making use of the definition 𝑃 = 𝜖0 (𝜖 − 1)𝐸0 , we obtain

Common questions

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The Clausius-Mossotti relation explains that the net electric field experienced by a single molecule in a dielectric medium is due to the combined effects of the electric fields from other molecules. Although the electric field, Ez, from all other molecules within the sphere averages to zero due to their uniform distribution, the net electric field considered exceeds the average electric field, E0, in the dielectric. This occurs because of long-range interactions of the molecule with others in the medium, rather than short-range interactions, and is quantitatively expressed using the relation P = ε0(ε−1)E0 .

The Clausius-Mossotti equation makes several key assumptions about the distribution and interaction of molecules within a dielectric sphere: 1) the molecules are identically polarizable and evenly distributed, 2) the dipole moments of all molecules within the sphere are identical, and 3) these dipole moments influence the electric field experienced by a single molecule due to their symmetrical distribution, resulting in an overall zero net electric field from other molecules within the sphere .

In the Clausius-Mossotti derivation, the concepts of microscopic and macroscopic phenomena play crucial roles in understanding polarization at different levels. Microscopic phenomena involve the individual dipole moments and their interactions within the sphere, while macroscopic phenomena address the average behavior of the entire medium. The sphere boundary is used to separate these two scales, allowing the effects of individual dipoles within the microscopic range to be integrated into macroscopic properties such as overall polarization and electric field .

The electric field contribution from polarization charges on a spherical shell in a dielectric is calculated using the expression: dEs = (dQp * cosθ) / (4πε0a^2), where dQp is the differential charge on a differential surface element with area dS. This expression assumes that the intrinsic dipoles cancel out in cubic crystals, amorphous solids, and liquids, allowing the local field to simplify to Eloc = E + ES .

Taking a spherical shell around point O is relevant for determining the local field in a dielectric because it helps localize the analysis of the field contributions specifically at point O. This method allows for the capture of the effects of polarization surfaces and dipoles systematically, as the shell is used to integrate over possible contributions to the local electric field. The spherical symmetry simplifies mathematical calculations by focusing on radial variations in charge distribution .

The assumption of long-range interactions affects the net electric field computation by attributing the predominant influence on a molecule to distant rather than nearby dipoles. This results in a measured net electric field that is greater than the average field, E0, because the cumulative effect of many distant dipoles effectively enhances the field experienced by an individual molecule. This perspective allows the Clausius-Mossotti equation to emphasize the significance of bulk material properties over local molecular interactions .

The local electric field in a dielectric material with a spherical cavity is composed of contributions from four main sources: 1) the free charges on the electrodes, represented by Eo, 2) the polarization charges on the plate surfaces, represented by Edep, 3) the polarization charges on the inner surface of the spherical cavity, represented by Es, and 4) the individual dipoles within the cavity, represented by Edipoles. For cubic crystals, amorphous solids, and liquids, the intrinsic dipoles cancel out. Therefore, the local field is given by Eloc = E + ES, where ES is derived by integrating over the differential surface charge .

Intrinsic dipoles cancel out in cubic crystals, amorphous solids, and liquids because their structural symmetry leads to an even distribution of dipole moments. This uniformity ensures that any individual dipole moment is countered by an opposing one, resulting in a net cancellation within the material. As a consequence, the local electric field simplifies to depend primarily on external contributions like free charges and polarization charges .

In a dielectric material with a spherical cavity, the differential charge on a surface element, dQp, is related to its contribution to the electric field using the expression: dEs = (dQp * cosθ) / (4πε0a^2). This describes the field at point O, integrating the contribution across all surface elements to account for the effect of polarization charges distributed across the spherical cavity surface .

In dielectric spheres, assuming molecule similarity in polarizability and uniform distribution allows for a simplified calculation of macroscopic field properties, as these symmetric and homogenous conditions ensure that individual molecular contributions to the electric field cancel out internally. This enables the treatment of the dielectric as a continuum, simplifying the integration needed to determine the net electric field and polarization using expressions like P = ε0(ε−1)E0 .

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