In electromagnetism, the Clausius–Mossotti relation, named for O. F. Mossotti and Rudolf Clausius, expresses the dielectric constant (relative permittivity, ε r) of a material in terms of the atomic polarizability, α, of the material's constituent atoms and/or molecules, or a homogeneous mixture thereof. It is equivalent to the Lorentz–Lorenz equation, which relates the refractive index (rather than the dielectric constant) of a substance to its polarizability. It may be expressed as: