Measurements of the Kerr effect in W/O microemulsions up to the proximity of a WII→WIII transition

Abstract The Kerr effect in W/O microemulsions has been studied. The Kerr constant (B) and the relaxation time 〈τ〉 as a function of the volume fraction of dispersed water in oil (φ) (0.049 ≤ φ le; φr; where φr; = phase transition point) have been determined. The B values are very high, even for small values of φ, as its range of values varies from a third of the Kerr constant of the nitrobenzene to values in between 2 and three orders of magnitude of this constant. As from φ > 0.12, B grows abruptly. The different factors transient aggregates, droplet strain, cluster formation and density fluctuations are analyzed.