Electrodynamic influences on the dielectric absorption of disordered molecular solids

Abstract

A model of pairwise charge–charge interaction superimposed on rotational Brownian motion is developed for the complex microscopic polarisability of a translationally invariant lattice of molecules. The model is compared with the experimental results and Monte Carlo simulation of Darmon and Brot on the disordered solid phase of 1,2,3-trichlorotrimethylbenzene (TCTMB). It is found that the long range and cooperative nature of electrodynamic interaction precludes the use of over-simplified analytical techniques and that computer simulation is a much more successful and convenient method of investigating the molecular motions in the solid. It is unlikely that analytical techniques of moderate tractability can compete in the study of liquid state molecular dynamics, without themselves becoming computer-oriented, as in this paper.