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Updated: Jun 15, 2026

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Measuring Magnetically-Tuned Ferroelectric Polarization in Liquid Crystals
Published on: August 15, 2018
Measurement of very high resistivities using electrooptic crystals
Applied Optics
|March 12, 2010
Abstract:
Resistances of devices or samples of material can be measured accurately by placing the sample between conducting plates attached to an electrooptic crystal. The plates are then charged, and the voltage-induced birefringence in the crystal is monitored optically. In this way very small conduction currents in the sample can be monitored without introducing an additional current path between the electrodes. Resistances up to 10(16) ? have been measured using LiNbO(3) as the electrooptic crystal.
Related Concept Videos
Resistivity
When a voltage is applied to a conductor, an electrical field is generated, and charges in the conductor feel the force due to the electrical field. The current density that results depends on the electrical field and the properties of the material. In some materials, including metals at a given temperature, the current density is approximately proportional to the electrical field. In these cases, the current density can be modeled as:
Susceptibility, Permittivity and Dielectric Constant
When placed in an external electric field, a dielectric material gets polarized. The charge density in the dielectric material is given by the sum of the bound and free charge densities, while the total charge density can also be written in terms of the total electric field. The bound charge density can be measured in terms of polarization, leading to the relationship between electric displacement and polarization.
