title: A theory of interactions between polarizable dielectric spheres.
abstract: Surface charging or polarization can strongly affect the nature of interactions between charged dielectric objects, particularly when sharp dielectric discontinuities are involved. By relying on a generalized image method, we derive an analytical, perturbative theory of the polarization and the interactions between charged particles in many-body systems. The validity and accuracy of the theory are established by comparing its predictions to full-blown numerical solutions. The importance of polarizability is then demonstrated for clusters of dielectric spheres, as well as a periodic crystal of charged dielectric spheres arranged into a NaCl-type lattice. The analytical framework for understanding the consequences of polarization will enable molecular simulations of large systems of polarizable particles.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Electronic address: jianq@stanford.edu.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Jiyuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; James Franck Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; James Franck Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jaeger
authors.affiliation: Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA. Electronic address: depablo@uchicago.edu.
authors.forename: Juan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: de Pablo
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; James Franck Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. Electronic address: freed@uchicago.edu.
authors.forename: Karl F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Freed
keywords: Dielectrics; Image method; Particulate aggregate; Polarization