Van der Waals dispersion forces between dielectric nanoclusters.

Various methods are evaluated for their ability to calculate accurate van der Waals (VDW) dispersion forces between nanoclusters. We compare results for spheres using several methods: the simple Hamaker two-body method, the Lifshitz (DLP) theory with the Derjaguin approximation, the Langbein result for spheres, and our "coupled dipole method" (CDM). The assumptions and shortcomings of each method are discussed.

van der Waals forces between nanoclusters: importance of many-body effects.

van der Waals interactions between nanoclusters have been calculated with a self-consistent, coupled dipole method. The method accounts for all many-body (MB) effects. Comparison is made between the exact potential energy, V, and the values obtained with two alternative methods: the sum of two-body interactions and the sum of two-body and three-body interactions.