# Permittivity

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In electromagnetism, absolute permittivity, often simply called permittivity, usually denoted by the Greek letter ε (epsilon), is the measure of capacitance that is encountered when forming an electric field in a particular medium. More specifically, permittivity describes the amount of charge needed to generate one unit of electric flux in a particular medium. Accordingly, a charge will yield more electric flux in a medium with low permittivity than in a medium with high permittivity. Permittivity is the measure of a material's ability to store an electric field in the polarization of the medium.

Electromagnetism is a branch of physics involving the study of the electromagnetic force, a type of physical interaction that occurs between electrically charged particles. The electromagnetic force usually exhibits electromagnetic fields such as electric fields, magnetic fields, and light, and is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three fundamental interactions are the strong interaction, the weak interaction, and gravitation. At high energy the weak force and electromagnetic force are unified as a single electroweak force.

Capacitance is the ratio of the change in an electric charge in a system to the corresponding change in its electric potential. There are two closely related notions of capacitance: self capacitance and mutual capacitance. Any object that can be electrically charged exhibits self capacitance. A material with a large self capacitance holds more electric charge at a given voltage than one with low capacitance. The notion of mutual capacitance is particularly important for understanding the operations of the capacitor, one of the three elementary linear electronic components.

An electric field is a vector field surrounding an electric charge that exerts force on other charges, attracting or repelling them. Mathematically the electric field is a vector field that associates to each point in space the force, called the Coulomb force, that would be experienced per unit of charge by an infinitesimal test charge at that point. The units of the electric field in the SI system are newtons per coulomb (N/C), or volts per meter (V/m). Electric fields are created by electric charges, or by time-varying magnetic fields. Electric fields are important in many areas of physics, and are exploited practically in electrical technology. On an atomic scale, the electric field is responsible for the attractive force between the atomic nucleus and electrons that holds atoms together, and the forces between atoms that cause chemical bonding. Electric fields and magnetic fields are both manifestations of the electromagnetic force, one of the four fundamental forces of nature.

## Contents

The SI unit for permittivity is farad per meter (F/m or F·m−1).

The International System of Units is the modern form of the metric system, and is the most widely used system of measurement. It comprises a coherent system of units of measurement built on seven base units, which are the ampere, kelvin, second, metre, kilogram, candela, mole, and a set of twenty prefixes to the unit names and unit symbols that may be used when specifying multiples and fractions of the units. The system also specifies names for 22 derived units, such as lumen and watt, for other common physical quantities.

The farad is the SI derived unit of electrical capacitance, the ability of a body to store an electrical charge. It is named after the English physicist Michael Faraday.

The lowest possible permittivity is that of a vacuum. Vacuum permittivity, sometimes called the electric constant, is represented by ε0 and has a value of approximately 8.85×10−12 F/m.

The physical constant ε0, commonly called the vacuum permittivity, permittivity of free space or electric constant or the distributed capacitance of the vacuum, is an ideal, (baseline) physical constant, which is the value of the absolute dielectric permittivity of classical vacuum. It has an exactly defined value that can be approximated as

The permittivity of a dielectric medium is often represented by the ratio of its absolute permittivity to the electric constant. This dimensionless quantity is called the medium’s relative permittivity, sometimes also called "permittivity". Relative permittivity is also commonly referred to as the dielectric constant, a term which has been deprecated in physics and engineering [1] as well as in chemistry. [2]

A dielectric is an electrical insulator that can be polarized by an applied electric field. When a dielectric is placed in an electric field, electric charges do not flow through the material as they do in an electrical conductor but only slightly shift from their average equilibrium positions causing dielectric polarization. Because of dielectric polarization, positive charges are displaced in the direction of the field and negative charges shift in the opposite direction. This creates an internal electric field that reduces the overall field within the dielectric itself. If a dielectric is composed of weakly bonded molecules, those molecules not only become polarized, but also reorient so that their symmetry axes align to the field.

The relative permittivity of a material is its (absolute) permittivity expressed as a ratio relative to the permittivity of vacuum.

${\displaystyle \kappa =\varepsilon _{r}={\frac {\varepsilon }{\varepsilon _{0}}}}$

By definition, a perfect vacuum has a relative permittivity of exactly 1. The difference in permittivity between a vacuum and air can often be considered negligible, as κair = 1.0006.

Relative permittivity is directly related to electric susceptibility (χ), which is a measure of how easily a dielectric polarizes in response to an electric field, given by

In electricity (electromagnetism), the electric susceptibility is a dimensionless proportionality constant that indicates the degree of polarization of a dielectric material in response to an applied electric field. The greater the electric susceptibility, the greater the ability of a material to polarize in response to the field, and thereby reduce the total electric field inside the material. It is in this way that the electric susceptibility influences the electric permittivity of the material and thus influences many other phenomena in that medium, from the capacitance of capacitors to the speed of light.

In classical electromagnetism, polarization density is the vector field that expresses the density of permanent or induced electric dipole moments in a dielectric material. When a dielectric is placed in an external electric field, its molecules gain electric dipole moment and the dielectric is said to be polarized. The electric dipole moment induced per unit volume of the dielectric material is called the electric polarization of the dielectric.

${\displaystyle \chi =\kappa -1}$

otherwise written as

${\displaystyle \varepsilon =\varepsilon _{\mathrm {r} }\varepsilon _{0}=(1+\chi )\varepsilon _{0}}$

## Units

The standard SI unit for permittivity is Farad per meter (F/m or F·m−1). [3]

${\displaystyle {\frac {\text{F}}{\text{m}}}={\frac {\text{C}}{{\text{V}}\cdot {\text{m}}}}={\frac {{\text{C}}^{2}}{{\text{N}}\cdot {\text{m}}^{2}}}={\frac {{\text{A}}^{2}\cdot {\text{s}}^{4}}{{\text{kg}}\cdot {\text{m}}^{3}}}={\frac {\text{N}}{{\text{V}}^{2}}}}$

## Explanation

In electromagnetism, the electric displacement field D represents how an electric field E influences the organization of electric charges in a given medium, including charge migration and electric dipole reorientation. Its relation to permittivity in the very simple case of linear, homogeneous, isotropic materials with "instantaneous" response to changes in electric field is

${\displaystyle \mathbf {D} =\varepsilon \mathbf {E} }$

where the permittivity ε is a scalar. If the medium is anisotropic, the permittivity is a second rank tensor.

In general, permittivity is not a constant, as it can vary with the position in the medium, the frequency of the field applied, humidity, temperature, and other parameters. In a nonlinear medium, the permittivity can depend on the strength of the electric field. Permittivity as a function of frequency can take on real or complex values.

In SI units, permittivity is measured in farads per meter (F/m or A2·s4·kg−1·m−3). The displacement field D is measured in units of coulombs per square meter (C/m2), while the electric field E is measured in volts per meter (V/m). D and E describe the interaction between charged objects. D is related to the charge densities associated with this interaction, while E is related to the forces and potential differences.

## Vacuum permittivity

The vacuum permittivity ε0 (also called permittivity of free space or the electric constant) is the ratio D/E in free space. It also appears in the Coulomb force constant,

${\displaystyle k_{e}={\frac {1}{4\pi \varepsilon _{0}}}}$

Its value is [4]

${\displaystyle \varepsilon _{0}{\stackrel {\mathrm {def} }{=}}\ {\frac {1}{c_{0}^{2}\mu _{0}}}={\frac {1}{35\,950\,207\,149.472\,7056\pi }}{\text{ F/m}}\approx 8.854\,187\,8176\ldots \times 10^{-12}{\text{ F/m }}}$

where

The constants c0 and μ0 are defined in SI units to have exact numerical values, shifting responsibility of experiment to the determination of the meter and the ampere. [6] (The approximation in the second value of ε0 above stems from π being an irrational number.)

## Relative permittivity

The linear permittivity of a homogeneous material is usually given relative to that of free space, as a relative permittivity εr (also called dielectric constant, although this term is deprecated and sometimes only refers to the static, zero-frequency relative permittivity). In an anisotropic material, the relative permittivity may be a tensor, causing birefringence. The actual permittivity is then calculated by multiplying the relative permittivity by ε0:

${\displaystyle \varepsilon =\varepsilon _{\mathrm {r} }\varepsilon _{0}=(1+\chi )\varepsilon _{0},}$

where χ (frequently written χe) is the electric susceptibility of the material.

The susceptibility is defined as the constant of proportionality (which may be a tensor) relating an electric field E to the induced dielectric polarization density P such that

${\displaystyle \mathbf {P} =\varepsilon _{0}\chi \mathbf {E} ,}$

where ε0 is the electric permittivity of free space.

The susceptibility of a medium is related to its relative permittivity εr by

${\displaystyle \chi =\varepsilon _{\mathrm {r} }-1.}$

So in the case of a vacuum,

${\displaystyle \chi =0.}$

The susceptibility is also related to the polarizability of individual particles in the medium by the Clausius-Mossotti relation.

The electric displacement D is related to the polarization density P by

${\displaystyle \mathbf {D} =\varepsilon _{0}\mathbf {E} +\mathbf {P} =\varepsilon _{0}(1+\chi )\mathbf {E} =\varepsilon _{\mathrm {r} }\varepsilon _{0}\mathbf {E} .}$

The permittivity ε and permeability µ of a medium together determine the phase velocity v = c/n of electromagnetic radiation through that medium:

${\displaystyle \varepsilon \mu ={\frac {1}{v^{2}}}.}$

## Practical applications

### Determining capacitance

The capacitance of a capacitor is based on its design and architecture, meaning it will not change with charging and discharging. The formula for capacitance is written as

${\displaystyle C=\varepsilon \ {\frac {A}{d}}}$

where ${\displaystyle A}$ is the area of one plate, ${\displaystyle d}$ is the distance between the plates, and ${\displaystyle \varepsilon }$ is the permittivity of the medium between the two plates. For a capacitor with relative permittivity ${\displaystyle \kappa }$, it can be said that

${\displaystyle C=\kappa \ \varepsilon _{0}{\frac {A}{d}}}$

### Gauss's law

Permittivity is connected to electric flux (and by extension electric field) through Gauss's law. Gauss's law states that for a closed Gaussian surface, s

${\displaystyle \Phi _{E}={\frac {Q_{\text{enc}}}{\varepsilon _{0}}}=\oint _{s}\mathbf {E} \cdot \mathrm {d} \mathbf {A} }$

where ${\displaystyle \Phi _{E}}$ is the net electric flux passing through the surface, ${\displaystyle Q_{\text{enc}}}$ is the charge enclosed in the Gaussian surface, ${\displaystyle \mathbf {E} }$ is the electric field vector at a given point on the surface, and ${\displaystyle \mathrm {d} \mathbf {A} }$ is a differential area vector on the Gaussian surface.

If the Gaussian surface uniformly encloses an insulated, symmetrical charge arrangement, the formula can be simplified to

${\displaystyle EA\cos(\theta )={\frac {Q_{\text{enc}}}{\varepsilon _{0}}}}$

where ${\displaystyle \theta }$ represents the angle between the electric field vector and the area vector.

If all of the electric field lines cross the surface at 90°, the formula can be further simplified to

${\displaystyle E={\frac {Q_{\text{enc}}}{\varepsilon _{0}A}}}$

Because the surface area of a sphere is ${\displaystyle 4\pi r^{2}}$, the electric field a distance ${\displaystyle r}$ away from a uniform, spherical charge arrangement is

${\displaystyle E={\frac {Q}{\varepsilon _{0}A}}={\frac {Q}{\varepsilon _{0}\left(4\pi r^{2}\right)}}}$
${\displaystyle E={\frac {Q}{4\pi \varepsilon _{0}r^{2}}}={\frac {kQ}{r^{2}}}}$

where ${\displaystyle k}$ is Coulomb's constant (${\displaystyle \sim 9.0\times 10^{9}\ {\text{m}}/{\text{F}}}$). This formula applies to the electric field due to a point charge, outside of a conducting sphere or shell, outside of a uniformly charged insulating sphere, or between the plates of a spherical capacitor.

## Dispersion and causality

In general, a material cannot polarize instantaneously in response to an applied field, and so the more general formulation as a function of time is

${\displaystyle \mathbf {P} (t)=\varepsilon _{0}\int _{-\infty }^{t}\chi \left(t-t'\right)\mathbf {E} \left(t'\right)\,dt'.}$

That is, the polarization is a convolution of the electric field at previous times with time-dependent susceptibility given by χt). The upper limit of this integral can be extended to infinity as well if one defines χt) = 0 for Δt < 0. An instantaneous response would correspond to a Dirac delta function susceptibility χt) = χδt).

It is convenient to take the Fourier transform with respect to time and write this relationship as a function of frequency. Because of the convolution theorem, the integral becomes a simple product,

${\displaystyle \mathbf {P} (\omega )=\varepsilon _{0}\chi (\omega )\mathbf {E} (\omega ).}$

This frequency dependence of the susceptibility leads to frequency dependence of the permittivity. The shape of the susceptibility with respect to frequency characterizes the dispersion properties of the material.

Moreover, the fact that the polarization can only depend on the electric field at previous times (i.e. effectively χt) = 0 for Δt < 0), a consequence of causality, imposes Kramers–Kronig constraints on the susceptibility χ(0).

### Complex permittivity

As opposed to the response of a vacuum, the response of normal materials to external fields generally depends on the frequency of the field. This frequency dependence reflects the fact that a material's polarization does not change instantaneously when an electric field is applied. The response must always be causal (arising after the applied field), which can be represented by a phase difference. For this reason, permittivity is often treated as a complex function of the (angular) frequency ω of the applied field:

${\displaystyle \varepsilon \rightarrow {\hat {\varepsilon }}(\omega )}$

(since complex numbers allow specification of magnitude and phase). The definition of permittivity therefore becomes

${\displaystyle D_{0}e^{-i\omega t}={\hat {\varepsilon }}(\omega )E_{0}e^{-i\omega t},}$

where

• D0 and E0 are the amplitudes of the displacement and electric fields, respectively,
• i is the imaginary unit, i2 = −1.

The response of a medium to static electric fields is described by the low-frequency limit of permittivity, also called the static permittivity εs (also εDC):

${\displaystyle \varepsilon _{\mathrm {s} }=\lim _{\omega \rightarrow 0}{\hat {\varepsilon }}(\omega ).}$

At the high-frequency limit, the complex permittivity is commonly referred to as ε. At the plasma frequency and below, dielectrics behave as ideal metals, with electron gas behavior. The static permittivity is a good approximation for alternating fields of low frequencies, and as the frequency increases a measurable phase difference δ emerges between D and E. The frequency at which the phase shift becomes noticeable depends on temperature and the details of the medium. For moderate field strength (E0), D and E remain proportional, and

${\displaystyle {\hat {\varepsilon }}={\frac {D_{0}}{E_{0}}}=|\varepsilon |e^{i\delta }.}$

Since the response of materials to alternating fields is characterized by a complex permittivity, it is natural to separate its real and imaginary parts, which is done by convention in the following way:

${\displaystyle {\hat {\varepsilon }}(\omega )=\varepsilon '(\omega )+i\varepsilon ''(\omega )=\left|{\frac {D_{0}}{E_{0}}}\right|\left(\cos \delta +i\sin \delta \right).}$

where

• ε is the real part of the permittivity;
• ε is the imaginary part of the permittivity;
• δ is the loss angle.

The choice of sign for time-dependence, eiωt, dictates the sign convention for the imaginary part of permittivity. The signs used here correspond to those commonly used in physics, whereas for the engineering convention one should reverse all imaginary quantities.

The complex permittivity is usually a complicated function of frequency ω, since it is a superimposed description of dispersion phenomena occurring at multiple frequencies. The dielectric function ε(ω) must have poles only for frequencies with positive imaginary parts, and therefore satisfies the Kramers–Kronig relations. However, in the narrow frequency ranges that are often studied in practice, the permittivity can be approximated as frequency-independent or by model functions.

At a given frequency, the imaginary part, ε, leads to absorption loss if it is positive (in the above sign convention) and gain if it is negative. More generally, the imaginary parts of the eigenvalues of the anisotropic dielectric tensor should be considered.

In the case of solids, the complex dielectric function is intimately connected to band structure. The primary quantity that characterizes the electronic structure of any crystalline material is the probability of photon absorption, which is directly related to the imaginary part of the optical dielectric function ε(ω). The optical dielectric function is given by the fundamental expression: [8]

${\displaystyle \varepsilon (\omega )=1+{\frac {8\pi ^{2}e^{2}}{m^{2}}}\sum _{c,v}\int W_{c,v}(E){\bigl (}\varphi (\hbar \omega -E)-\varphi (\hbar \omega +E){\bigr )}\,dx.}$

In this expression, Wc,v(E) represents the product of the Brillouin zone-averaged transition probability at the energy E with the joint density of states, [9] [10] Jc,v(E); φ is a broadening function, representing the role of scattering in smearing out the energy levels. [11] In general, the broadening is intermediate between Lorentzian and Gaussian; [12] [13] for an alloy it is somewhat closer to Gaussian because of strong scattering from statistical fluctuations in the local composition on a nanometer scale.

### Tensorial permittivity

According to the Drude model of magnetized plasma, a more general expression which takes into account the interaction of the carriers with an alternating electric field at millimeter and microwave frequencies in an axially magnetized semiconductor requires the expression of the permittivity as a non-diagonal tensor. [14] (see also Electro-gyration).

${\displaystyle \mathbf {D} (\omega )={\begin{vmatrix}\varepsilon _{1}&-i\varepsilon _{2}&0\\i\varepsilon _{2}&\varepsilon _{1}&0\\0&0&\varepsilon _{z}\\\end{vmatrix}}\operatorname {\mathbf {E} } (\omega )}$

If ε2 vanishes, then the tensor is diagonal but not proportional to the identity and the medium is said to be a uniaxial medium, which has similar properties to a uniaxial crystal.

### Classification of materials

Classification of materials based on permittivity
Current conduction Field propagation
0 perfect dielectric
lossless medium
≪ 1low-conductivity material
poor conductor
low-loss medium
good dielectric
≈ 1lossy conducting materiallossy propagation medium
≫ 1high-conductivity material
good conductor
high-loss medium
poor dielectric
perfect conductor

Materials can be classified according to their complex-valued permittivity ε, upon comparison of its real ε and imaginary ε components (or, equivalently, conductivity, σ, when accounted for in the latter). A perfect conductor has infinite conductivity, σ = ∞, while a perfect dielectric is a material that has no conductivity at all, σ = 0; this latter case, of real-valued permittivity (or complex-valued permittivity with zero imaginary component) is also associated with the name lossless media. [15] Generally, when σ/ωε ≪ 1 we consider the material to be a low-loss dielectric (although not exactly lossless), whereas σ/ωε ≫ 1 is associated with a good conductor; such materials with non-negligible conductivity yield a large amount of loss that inhibit the propagation of electromagnetic waves, thus are also said to be lossy media. Those materials that do not fall under either limit are considered to be general media.

### Lossy medium

In the case of a lossy medium, i.e. when the conduction current is not negligible, the total current density flowing is:

${\displaystyle J_{\text{tot}}=J_{\mathrm {c} }+J_{\mathrm {d} }=\sigma E-i\omega \varepsilon 'E=-i\omega {\hat {\varepsilon }}E}$

where

• σ is the conductivity of the medium;
• ε is the real part of the permittivity.
• ε̂ is the complex permittivity

The size of the displacement current is dependent on the frequency ω of the applied field E; there is no displacement current in a constant field.

In this formalism, the complex permittivity is defined as: [16] [17]

${\displaystyle {\hat {\varepsilon }}=\varepsilon '\left(1-i{\frac {\sigma }{\omega \varepsilon '}}\right)=\varepsilon '-i{\frac {\sigma }{\omega }}}$

In general, the absorption of electromagnetic energy by dielectrics is covered by a few different mechanisms that influence the shape of the permittivity as a function of frequency:

• First are the relaxation effects associated with permanent and induced molecular dipoles. At low frequencies the field changes slowly enough to allow dipoles to reach equilibrium before the field has measurably changed. For frequencies at which dipole orientations cannot follow the applied field because of the viscosity of the medium, absorption of the field's energy leads to energy dissipation. The mechanism of dipoles relaxing is called dielectric relaxation and for ideal dipoles is described by classic Debye relaxation.
• Second are the resonance effects, which arise from the rotations or vibrations of atoms, ions, or electrons. These processes are observed in the neighborhood of their characteristic absorption frequencies.

The above effects often combine to cause non-linear effects within capacitors. For example, dielectric absorption refers to the inability of a capacitor that has been charged for a long time to completely discharge when briefly discharged. Although an ideal capacitor would remain at zero volts after being discharged, real capacitors will develop a small voltage, a phenomenon that is also called soakage or battery action. For some dielectrics, such as many polymer films, the resulting voltage may be less than 1–2% of the original voltage. However, it can be as much as 15–25% in the case of electrolytic capacitors or supercapacitors.

### Quantum-mechanical interpretation

In terms of quantum mechanics, permittivity is explained by atomic and molecular interactions.

At low frequencies, molecules in polar dielectrics are polarized by an applied electric field, which induces periodic rotations. For example, at the microwave frequency, the microwave field causes the periodic rotation of water molecules, sufficient to break hydrogen bonds. The field does work against the bonds and the energy is absorbed by the material as heat. This is why microwave ovens work very well for materials containing water. There are two maxima of the imaginary component (the absorptive index) of water, one at the microwave frequency, and the other at far ultraviolet (UV) frequency. Both of these resonances are at higher frequencies than the operating frequency of microwave ovens.

At moderate frequencies, the energy is too high to cause rotation, yet too low to affect electrons directly, and is absorbed in the form of resonant molecular vibrations. In water, this is where the absorptive index starts to drop sharply, and the minimum of the imaginary permittivity is at the frequency of blue light (optical regime).

At high frequencies (such as UV and above), molecules cannot relax, and the energy is purely absorbed by atoms, exciting electron energy levels. Thus, these frequencies are classified as ionizing radiation.

While carrying out a complete ab initio (that is, first-principles) modelling is now computationally possible, it has not been widely applied yet. Thus, a phenomenological model is accepted as being an adequate method of capturing experimental behaviors. The Debye model and the Lorentz model use a first-order and second-order (respectively) lumped system parameter linear representation (such as an RC and an LRC resonant circuit).

## Measurement

The relative permittivity of a material can be found by a variety of static electrical measurements. The complex permittivity is evaluated over a wide range of frequencies by using different variants of dielectric spectroscopy, covering nearly 21 orders of magnitude from 10−6 to 1015 hertz. Also, by using cryostats and ovens, the dielectric properties of a medium can be characterized over an array of temperatures. In order to study systems for such diverse excitation fields, a number of measurement setups are used, each adequate for a special frequency range.

Various microwave measurement techniques are outlined in Chen et al.. [18] Typical errors for the Hakki-Coleman method employing a puck of material between conducting planes are about 0.3%. [19]

At infrared and optical frequencies, a common technique is ellipsometry. Dual polarisation interferometry is also used to measure the complex refractive index for very thin films at optical frequencies.

## Notes

1. Current practice of standards organizations such as NIST and BIPM is to use c0, rather than c, to denote the speed of light in a vacuum according to ISO 31. In the original Recommendation of 1983, the symbol c was used for this purpose. [5]

## Related Research Articles

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