Orientational order in model dipolar fluids

Fluids of hard spheres each carrying two parallel point dipoles have been investigated using constant-volume Monte Carlo computer simulations. The results show that both ferroelectric and antiferroelectric fluid phases can be stabilized at high density and low temperature by dipolar interactions alone, if the separation between the dipoles on each sphere is sufficiently large. A simple lattice calculation provides some insight into the balance between dipole energy and orientational entropy which governs the polarization state. [S1063-651X(99)00610-8].