Formation and electrooptic investigation of the near-electrode space charge in colloidal solutions of magnetite in liquid dielectrics

Abstract

The kinetics of birefringence in a colloid of magnetite particles in kerosene exposed to a pulsed electric field is investigated. Two cases are considered: a light beam passes either near the electrode surface or through the middle of an electrooptic cell. Once the field is switched on, the amount of birefringence near the electrode is found to grow nonmonotonically. This finding is accounted for by the formation of the space charge near the electrode. The experimental data are used to estimate the charge localization region and the characteristic time of charge formation.