Distortion of the Electric Field Near Insulator Surface Observed With Electro-Optical Technique Measuring Kerr Effect

The Kerr effect in liquid of propylene carbonate near an insulator surface excited by pulsed high voltage was electro-optically measured with the data produced in the form of finite fringe interferograms. The fringe in the cathode region near the insulator surface was observed to shift inward, which implies a decrease of the cathode field near the insulator surface and somewhere near the cathode on the insulator surface being negatively charged.