2024/05/29 by Frank V. Kowalski, Kowalski, F. V.
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Electrical Measurement Techniques #Advanced MEMS and NEMS Technologies #Applied Physics (physics.app-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Mechanical and Optical Resonators
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2405.19545
openalex publication_date 2024/05/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The relaxation in a vacuum capacitor-resistor circuit is comprised of two exponential decays, one caused by surface charge and the other by the decay of energy stored between the capacitor plates. A simple phenomenological model of this relaxation is shown to be supported by measurements even though Maxwell's equations are difficult to apply in this case. Similar behavior is also observed for polypropylene capacitors, indicating that this surface charge effect is applicable to all capacitors and potentially other circuit components.