Electrode effects from Kerr effect measurements

Abstract

Previous papers {1,3} have shown good agreement between terminal current waveform measurements and current density waveforms from drift theory solutions. These measurements utilize parallel plate (stainless steel) electrodes (with spacing ℓ = .34 cm) immersed in nitrobenzene (with permittivity ε), and variable frequency with a peak voltage V0. This paper shows, by using Kerr effect measurements and drift theory solutions, that terminal current waveforms may provide good fits to current density waveforms while the electric field and charge density distributions between electrodes are distorted by charges at the electrodes which are unexplained by the theory.