A 2-dimensional Kerr-effect technique for electric field distribution in liquid dielectrics

Based on the electro-optical Kerr effect, an attempt is made to develop a measurement technique for the two-dimensional distribution of the electrical field in dielectric liquids. For rapid, two-dimensional measurements, it is convenient to introduce a computer-controlled electronic camera for optical detection. However, because of the two-dimensional non-uniformity resulting from the system components, the measurement principle needs a two-dimensional analysis. To simplify the mathematical analysis, square pulsed modulations are employed. The influence of the system non-uniformity is eliminated by use of both optical and electrical modulations. To improve the system sensitivity, an optimum system setup is analyzed. To decrease the effect of the noise component resulting from the EHD (electrohydrodynamic) motion of the dielectric liquid, a diagnostic image lock-in technique is proposed. The validity of the two-dimensional measurement principle and the effectiveness of the diagnostic image lock-in processing are examined by the measurement of the electrical field distribution in a nitrobenzene specimen between two parallel plate electrodes.