Correlation between dielectric and electro-optic properties related to domain dynamics in RbHSeO4 crystals

The variations of the effective electro-optic coefficient and of the dielectric permittivity as functions of the de electric field are reported in rubidium hydrogen selenate at room temperature. Their frequency dispersions are measured in the range 20 Hz-l MHz. The influence of the ac field amplitude on these properties is also studied. It is shown that the dielectric and the electro-optic responses are strongly nonlinear with the amplitude of the ac electric field, and that their frequency dispersions are closely linked to one another, up to the vicinity of the piezoelectric resonances. The role of domain dynamics in the dielectric and electro-optic properties is stressed. The domain contribution to the electro-optic response is explained by means of a simple model based on the tilt of the optical indicatrix in neighboring domains. [S0163-1829(98)02629-0].