Acoustic pulse probing of electric field and polarization in solid dielectrics

General questions concerning the correct application of the acoustic pulse method of electric field probing in dielectrics are discussed in detail. It follows from a major experimental effort with a number of grossly different dielectrics (as judged by their structure and properties) that correct data reduction aimed at retrieval of electric field distribution constitutes a real problem due to the piezoelectric effect present in polar and even weakly polar materials. On the other hand the method may prove quite useful in the study of the slow component of the persistent polarization in a number of dielectrics