Two-dimensional electric field measurement in liquid dielectrics using a highly sensitive Kerr-effect technique

On the basis of the Kerr electrooptic effect, a novel measurement principle, which may be used to measure the 2-dimensional electric field distributions in dielectric liquids, was proposed. By applying a pulse voltage to an optical phase modulator, it is possible to change the incident light from linearly polarized light into elliptically polarized light. Modulating both states of polarization of the elliptically polarized light and the DC electric field in a specimen with an AC electric field whose direction is different from that of the DC field, one can measure the magnitudes and angles of both AC and DC electric field intensity (the sensitivity is better than 100 V/cm) in liquids with small Kerr constants (about 10^-15 m/V²) using a short electrode length (about 5 cm)