Surface and bulk energies of dipolar lattices

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Abstract
We calculate the field due to lines and planes of dipoles, and use this to calculate the bulk and surface energies of various dipolar-lattice structures. The calculation technique is simpler than traditional Ewald methods, and is well suited to surface-energy calculations. We find strongly anisotropic surface energies for the lattices; the more closely packed lattices have negative surface energies for directions approximately parallel to the dipolar axis. These results should be applicable to ferro- and electrorheological fluids.