Dielectric Constant of Rare-Gas Mixtures

Abstract

The calculation of the frequency-dependent dielectric constant of a binary mixture of rare-gas atoms is discussed. This macroscopic property reflects the fact that when two unlike rare-gas atoms undergo a collision, a dipole moment is formed. The problem is formulated in terms of response theory, which relates the dielectric constant to an integral of a correlation function, and the lowest-order contribution is explicitly calculated using the same empirical expression for the dipole moment as was used by Levine and Birnbaum.