Correlated interaction and dielectric relaxation in solids: a discriminating experimental approach by thermally stimulated depolarization current

It is shown that the heating rate dependence of the Thermally Stimulated Depolarization Current (TSDC) line-shape is a function of the postulated depolarization function. An experimental discrimination is thus possible when one compares the prediction of the assumed model with the experimental behavior. Basically these models can be separated in two types. On the one hand, models based on Distribution of Relaxation Times (DRT) where the relaxation time /spl tau/ is time-independent and simply thermally activated according an Arrhenius law. On the other hand, models based on a more complex representation where dipole-dipole and dipole-network interactions make /spl tau/ time- and temperature-dependent.