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Related Concept Videos

Induced Electric Dipoles01:28

Induced Electric Dipoles

A permanent electric dipole orients itself along an external electric field. This rotation can be quantified by defining the potential energy because the external torque does work in rotating it. Then, the potential energy is minimum at the parallel configuration and maximum at the antiparallel configuration. While the former is a stable equilibrium, the latter is an unstable equilibrium.
Since the absolute value of potential energy holds no physical meaning, its zero value can be chosen as per...
Dielectric Polarization in a Capacitor01:31

Dielectric Polarization in a Capacitor

The presence of a dielectric medium in a capacitor not only changes the voltage and capacitance but also affects the electric field. In general, dielectrics can be of two types: polar and nonpolar. In a polar dielectric, the positive and negative charges in the molecules are separated by a distance and hence have a permanent dipole moment. In contrast, no such charge separation exists in a nonpolar dielectric, however the nonpolar molecules get polarized in the presence of an external electric...
Gauss's Law in Dielectrics01:17

Gauss's Law in Dielectrics

Consider a polar dielectric placed in an external field. In such a dielectric, opposite charges on adjacent dipoles neutralize each other, such that the net charge within the dielectric is zero. When a polar dielectric is inserted in between the capacitor plates, an electric field is generated due to the presence of net charges near the edge of the dielectric and the metal plates interface. Since the external electrical field merely aligns the dipoles, the dielectric as a whole is neutral. An...
Induced Electric Fields01:23

Induced Electric Fields

The fact that emfs are induced in circuits implies that work is being done on the conduction electrons in the wires. What can possibly be the source of this work? We know that it’s neither a battery nor a magnetic field, as a battery does not have to be present in a circuit where current is induced, and magnetic fields never do any work on moving charges. The source of the work is in fact an electric field that is induced in the wires. For example, if a stationary conductor is placed in a...
Induced Electric Fields: Applications01:27

Induced Electric Fields: Applications

An important distinction exists between the electric field induced by a changing magnetic field and the electrostatic field produced by a fixed charge distribution. Specifically, the induced electric field is nonconservative because it does not work in moving a charge over a closed path. In contrast, the electrostatic field is conservative and does no net work over a closed path. Hence, electric potential can be associated with the electrostatic field but not the induced field. The following...
Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics01:27

Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics

When an electric field passes from one homogeneous medium to another, crossing the boundary between the two mediums imparts a discontinuity in the electric field. This results in electrostatic boundary conditions that depend on the type of mediums the field propagates through.
Consider a case where both the mediums across a boundary are two different dielectric materials. Recall that the electric field and electric displacement are proportional and related through the material's permittivity.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 8, 2026

Development of Whispering Gallery Mode Polymeric Micro-optical Electric Field Sensors
08:32

Development of Whispering Gallery Mode Polymeric Micro-optical Electric Field Sensors

Published on: January 29, 2013

Optical-field-induced current in dielectrics.

Agustin Schiffrin1, Tim Paasch-Colberg, Nicholas Karpowicz

  • 1Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Strasse 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany. aschiffr@phas.ubc.ca

Nature
|December 11, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers demonstrate ultrafast electric signal control in dielectrics, a feat previously thought impossible. This breakthrough in optical waveform manipulation could advance electronic signal processing into the petahertz range.

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Area of Science:

  • Solid State Physics
  • Optoelectronics
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Current signal processing speeds are limited by the switching times of electric currents, typically in the gigahertz range.
  • Terahertz (THz) range signal processing is hindered by limitations in electric interconnects and existing optical control methods for semiconductors.
  • Dielectric materials have been unsuitable for ultrafast optical current control due to damage from UV light or breakdown from strong fields.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the feasibility of manipulating electric signals within a dielectric material using optical waveforms.
  • To overcome the limitations of existing methods for controlling electric currents at high frequencies.
  • To explore the potential of dielectrics for extending electronic signal processing into the petahertz (PHz) domain.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a few-cycle optical waveform to interact with amorphous silicon dioxide (fused silica).
  • Investigated the change in AC conductivity of the dielectric under optical influence.
  • Measured the timescale of conductivity changes and the ability to control electric currents.

Main Results:

  • Achieved a reversible increase in AC conductivity of amorphous silicon dioxide by over 18 orders of magnitude within 1 femtosecond.
  • Demonstrated the ability to drive, direct, and switch electric currents using the instantaneous light field without inducing breakdown.
  • Successfully controlled electric signals in a dielectric material, a significant advancement over semiconductor-based methods.

Conclusions:

  • Electric signal manipulation in dielectrics is feasible using tailored optical waveforms.
  • This technique overcomes previous limitations associated with using dielectrics for ultrafast optical control.
  • The findings pave the way for extending electronic signal processing and high-speed metrology into the petahertz (10^15 Hz) domain.