Physics:Axilrod–Teller potential

Short description: Three-body potential in molecular physics

The Axilrod–Teller potential in molecular physics, is a three-body potential that results from a third-order perturbation correction to the attractive London dispersion interactions (instantaneous induced dipole-induced dipole)

$V_{ijk}=E_0\left[\frac{1+3\cos {\gamma }_i\cos {\gamma }_j\cos {\gamma }_k}{{\left(r_{ij}{r}_{jk}{r}_{ik}\right)}^3}\right]$

where $r_{ij}$ is the distance between atoms $i$ and $j$, and ${\gamma }_i$ is the angle between the vectors ${\mathbf{𝐫}}_{ij}$ and ${\mathbf{𝐫}}_{ik}$. The coefficient $E_0$ is positive and of the order $V{\alpha }^3$, where $V$ is the ionization energy and $\alpha$ is the mean atomic polarizability; the exact value of $E_0$ depends on the magnitudes of the dipole matrix elements and on the energies of the $p$ orbitals.

References

• Axilrod, B. M.; Teller, E. (1943). "Interaction of the van der Waals Type Between Three Atoms". Journal of Chemical Physics 11 (6): 299. doi:10.1063/1.1723844. Bibcode: 1943JChPh..11..299A.