Pressure dependence of ionic cation and anion polarizabilities

Establish the pressure dependence of the individual cation and anion electronic polarizability contributions in highly ionic compounds, including alkali chlorides and alkaline-earth oxides.

Background

The paper explains that the electronic polarizability of highly ionic crystals can be decomposed into cation and anion contributions. Existing theory suggests that cation polarizabilities vary only weakly with pressure, whereas compression substantially reduces anion polarizability. However, the pressure dependence of these separate contributions had not been established, motivating the paper’s measurements and Lorentz–Lorenz analysis of high-pressure refractive indices.