On the dielectric theory of fluids

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Abstract
This is the second paper in a series aimed at consistently incorporating the effects of higher multipoles into a molecular theory of dielectric phenomena. In this article we examine the low density limit of the non-linear dielectric response of an arbitrary fluid to an externally applied, and in general non-uniform, electrostatic field. We thus elucidate the physical mechanisms whereby higher multipole moments of single molecules contribute to the dielectric response. An explicit expression for the static dielectric tensor of such systems is obtained, and is found to be independent of the choice of molecular origin with respect to which the multipole moments are referred only if the effects due to orientational anisotropy and electrostriction are considered on an equal footing. We examine the general question of the origin invariance of the Maxwell equations if a truncated multipole expansion of the displacement field is employed. Finally, we consider the possibility of novel experiments to determine the permanent quadrupole moment of dipolar molecules.

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