Electrostriction

Abstract

The form of the lowest-order electrostrictive effect in crystals is investigated using a nonlinear theory of the elastic dielectric, described in a previous publication. We find that the electrostrictive coefficients in the equation of state for the applied stress (a) has one form for a dielectric-vacuum interface and another for a dielectric-conductor interface, and (b) is different from the analogous coefficients in the equation of state for the electric field. These differences are shown to be numerically significant in the case of barium titanate.