Crystal-field induced dipoles in heteropolar crystals II: Physical significance

Abstract

The significance of dipole moments induced by crystal fields in heteropolar crystals is discussed with respect to some aspects of solid state physics. Experimental results from structural analyses that provide data on induced dipoles are summarized. The concept of ionic radii is reconsidered, and a new tabulation scheme is proposed in terms of deformed charge distributions. It is shown that spontaneous polarization as well as the pyro- and piezoelectric coefficients are not independent sets of crystallographic constants, but are accounted for by the structural parameters, the ionic polarizabilities and the elastic constants. The dipole concept is extended to statistically induced or random dipoles. They can account for an important part of the binding energy of substitutionally disordered and non-stoichiometric compounds and, therefore, are concluded to stabilize disorder in solids.