The Electro-Optical Kerr Effect in Methane, Ethylene and Ethane

The Kerr effect has been measured in methane, ethylene, and ethane. The measurements were made at a wave-length of 6500A, pressures from 30 to 100 atmospheres and temperatures from 15 to 55°C. With the aid of the Langevin-Born theory absolute values for the Kerr constant at N.P.T. and 6500A have been deduced from these measurements. The values are: for methane 3.66×${10}^{-12\mathrm{}}$, for ethylene 16.3×${10}^{-12\mathrm{}}$, and for ethane 10.4×${10}^{-12\mathrm{}}$. These are in fair agreement with theoretical values computed from the Langevin-Born theory.