Dielectrics in Electric Fields

Gorur Govinda Raju holds a B.Eng from the University of Bangalore (India) and a Ph.D from the University of Liverpool (UK). He joined the University of Windsor (Ontario, Canada) in 1980 and became professor and head of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department during 1989–97 and 2000–2002. He has been on the board and program committee of the IEEE Conference on Electrical Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena for many years, and is currently a lifetime emeritus professor at the University of Windsor. Professor Raju has been an electrical power and dielectric phenomena consultant to the government of India, Detroit Edison Co., and several other organizations. He has published four engineering books, a novel, and more than 150 papers in international journals and conference proceedings. His experimental and theoretical contributions to gaseous electronics and dielectric phenomena continue to be cited in numerous research papers.

"An impressive monograph that can also serve as a textbook. For students in physics or materials science, it brings fundamental knowledge required by the curricula. For electrical engineers, it provides useful information on the practical applications of dielectrics. For scientists, it suggests directions for further research. … The approach and the selection of the topics that compose this book are those of a professor who is eager to give to his students or younger coworkers a condensed knowledge of the field, but also to incite them for further reading. … I would like to have this book on my shelf, as it contains the answers to questions that our research group may have on the characteristics of dielectric materials that we use to build our devices or are the object of the electrostatic processes that we study. … Recognized as a top scientist in the field of dielectrics, Professor Raju turns out to be an excellent teacher too. He has the talent to explain why each new element of knowledge he introduces in his book might be of interest not only to the researcher, but also to the electrical engineer."—Lucian Dascalescu, University of Poitiers, France"… provides an excellent digest of dielectrics in electric fields. The study of dielectrics is rather multidisciplinary—their response requires a good understanding of physics, the materials are often complicated and require an understanding of chemistry and materials science, and the applications and the development of the testing techniques lie in the hands of engineers. The book crosses these discipline areas with ease, taking the reader from first principles to the present in a coherent and comprehensive way. The coverage is wide without being at the expense of the necessary detail and clarity. I would certainly recommend this book both for graduate classes and, indeed, for researchers at all levels in this field."—John Fothergill, City University London, UK"… describes the huge variety of processes and fundamental phenomena in the domain of dielectrics in electric fields in a well-structured and systematic way."—Sergey Pancheshnyi, ABB Corporate Research, Baden-Dättwil, Switzerland"… well thought out and prepared similarly to its earlier edition, with the inclusion of some new material. The order of the chapters is quite logical and makes the reader comprehend the rather complex dielectric phenomena easier. There are not many books on dielectric materials, and clearly Professor Raju’s book is one of the better ones."—Huseyin R. Hiziroglu, Kettering University, Flint, Michigan, USA"... provides an extensive review of the seminal literature in this area. The author brings his deep understanding of the physics of dielectrics to provide a cohesive narrative to the findings. ... This book is a useful addition for my own perusal as well as for reference for my students in this area of study."—Dr. Nandini Gupta, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur"… a good overview and introduction to dielectrics, … not restricted to solids. It is generally written well and fundamental relationships are derived in a way that can be easily understood by a beginner. It also focuses more on specific material examples."—Thomas Christen, ABB Corporate Research, Baden-Dättwil, Switzerland

• Introductory Concepts. Polarization and Static Dielectric Constant. Dielectric Loss and Relaxation—I. Dielectric Loss and Relaxation—II. Experimental Data (Frequency Domain). Absorption and Desorption Currents. Inorganic Dielectrics. Microwave Measurement Methods. Dielectrics in Allied Disciplines. Field-Enhanced Conduction. Selected Aspects of Gaseous Breakdown. High-Field Conduction and Breakdown in Liquids. Breakdown in Solid Dielectrics. Thermally Stimulated Processes. Space Charge in Solid Dielectrics. Nanodielectrics. Appendices.