Molecular Theory of the Dielectric Constant

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Abstract
A theory of the static dielectric constant is developed on a quantum-mechanical basis, starting from the Lorentz microscopic field equations. By introducing the concept of "local field," a molecular version of the general theory is obtained and applied to compressed non-(di)polar gases at low densities. This leads to a virial series for the dielectric constant. It is shown that such a molecular theory is fundamentally ineffective in accounting for the observed results within the experimental accuracy.