What physical property of a capacitor is increased by introducing a dielectric material between its plates?

Introducing a dielectric material between the plates of a capacitor increases the capacitance. This is due to the dielectric's ability to reduce the electric field within the capacitor, allowing it to store more charge at the same voltage. When a dielectric is inserted, it polarizes in response to the electric field, which effectively decreases the voltage across the capacitor for a given charge. As a result, the relation given by the capacitance formula (C = \frac{Q}{V}) indicates that with a reduced voltage for the same amount of charge, the capacitance (C) must increase.

This enhancement in capacitance enables capacitors to be more effectively used in various applications, such as in filtering circuits, timing applications, and energy storage systems. The dielectric constant of the material directly influences how much the capacitance increases, with materials that have a higher dielectric constant contributing to a greater enhancement.