Dielectric Relaxation of Polar Liquids

The statistical theory of the dielectric relaxation of polar liquids is developed using the fluctuation‐dissipation approach to linear dissipative phenomena, and an expression is derived relating the complex dielectric constant to a time‐dependent microscopic correlation function. It is found that a finite number of microscopic relaxation times leads to an equal number of macroscopic decay times, and, in the case of a single relaxation time τ0, the decay time is given by T0=[3e0/(2e0+e∞)]τ0, e0 being the static dielectric constant, and e∞ being the high frequency dielectric constant. Relaxation times are also determined for systems having two decay times, and for systems characterized by the circular‐arc and skewed‐arc distribution functions.