The mean spherical approximation for a dipolar Yukawa fluid

Abstract

The dipolar hard sphere fluid (DHSF) is a useful model of a polar fluid. However, the DHSF lacks a vapor–liquid transition due to the formation of chain-like structures. Such chains are not characteristic of real polar fluids. A more realistic model of a polar fluid is obtained by adding a Lennard–Jones potential to the intermolecular potential. Very similar results are obtained by adding a Yukawa potential, instead of the Lennard–Jones potential. We call this fluid the dipolar Yukawa fluid (DYF). We show that an analytical solution of the mean spherical approximation (MSA) can be obtained for the DYF. Thus, the DYF has many of the attractive features of the DHSF. We find that, within the MSA, the Yukawa potential modifies only the spherically averaged distribution function. Thus, although the thermodynamic properties of the DYF differ from those of the DHSF, the MSA dielectric constant of the DYF is the same as that of the DHSF. This result, and some other predictions, are tested by simulations and are found to be good approximations.