Quantized thermal depolarization of solid dielectrics

Contrary to the Debye's theory of a distribution of relaxation times, the logarithm of the relaxation current plotted as function of time has several nearly straight sections of decreasing slopes. The slopes formed short series having common geometrical ratios of /spl sim/2, 1.5, and 1.2. The ratios represent stepped changes of the probability of charge carrier excitation, generally caused by the stepped decrements of the displacement potential of the polarized charges. As energetic polarization waves deliver activation energies, large groups of charge carriers display mean decrements of energy in steps of single phonons. The model provides new methods of estimating Planck's constant and of the atomic heat capacity. The experiments and the model suggest that all solids obeying the Dulong-Petit law display one value of mean infrared frequency of vibrations. Based on this frequency a novel solid state constant kTln 2 is proposed representing quantum energy steps displayed in most solid state thermal relaxations. The measurements of ratios of time constants creates a new field of spectroscopic studies of the phonon vibration interactions displaying energies of the order of 10/sup -2/ eV. The present results may support the hypothesis that the eigenfunctions of Maxwell's equations are represented by a pulse instead of a monochromatic wave.<
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