Re: Polarize

On 5 Sep 2005 19:20:27 -0700, "Mike" <n00spam@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>Uncle Al wrote:
>> DARTH VADER wrote:
>> >
>> > Do all insulators get polarised on the application of the electric
>> > field?
>>
>> If the dielectric is matter then its eelectronic atomic, molecular,
>> and solid state band structures (if it is a solid) will be
>> increasingly distorted by increasing V/m. Ferroelectics undergo
>> physical displacement of internal atoms in an otherwise sationary
>> matrix.
>>
>> How 'bout a vacuum gap?
>
>Darth's usage of "insulators" made me think of material dielectrics.
>But you are perfectly correct to bring up vacuum polarization. All
>those virtual positron/electron pairs that the uncertainty principle
>allows to come into and out of existence in a vacuum will also be
>polarized by an applied electric field.
>
>The vacuum permittivity is defined as 1 and is used to define the
>relative dielectric constant as the ratio of the material's static
>permittivity to the vacuum permittivity.
>
>--Best regards,
>--Mike Jr.
>
>>
>> --
>> Uncle Al
>> http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
>> (Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
>> http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/qz.pdf

If you want to see how the vacuum polarizes, go to my website and
click on topic #1, permittivity. It will take a bit of study. You will
see there a picture of a commercial vacuum capacitor carrying 135
amperes of HF radio current up to 35,000 volts. Permittivity is real
alright, as you might know if you studied E&M using SI units instead
of the "parlor physics" of cgs.
John Polasek
http://www.dualspace.net
.

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