Ferroelectricity Experiment for Advanced Laboratory

Abstract

An experiment suitable for a junior or senior physics laboratory is described, in which the spontaneous polarization and coercive field for Rochelle salt are measured from the ferroelectric hysteresis loops, over the temperature range −18° to +24°C in which this crystal is ferroelectric. The suitability of triglycine sulfate for this experiment is discussed. The apparatus is also useful in demonstrating the relation of capacitance to electrode geometry, and in determining dielectric constants.