A simple way of understanding the nonadditivity of van der Waals dispersion forces

Using a semiclassical model for three interacting fluctuating dipoles we introduce a simple scenario in which the nonadditivity of the van der Waals dispersion forces arises in a very transparent way. For simplicity, we illustrate our model in the case of nonretarded dispersion forces. The argument...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of physics 1999-04, Vol.67 (4), p.344-349
Main Authors: Farina, C., Santos, F. C., Tort, A. C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Physics
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Summary:Using a semiclassical model for three interacting fluctuating dipoles we introduce a simple scenario in which the nonadditivity of the van der Waals dispersion forces arises in a very transparent way. For simplicity, we illustrate our model in the case of nonretarded dispersion forces. The argument can be straightforwardly generalized to the case of N interacting fluctuating dipoles. For pedagogical reasons, we also give a brief review of some basic points concerning van der Waals forces.
ISSN:0002-9505
1943-2909
DOI:10.1119/1.19260