GLOBAL PHASE-DIAGRAMS FOR DIPOLAR FLUIDS

Fluids of molecules or particles interacting through dipole forces describe polar liquids and colloidal suspensions such as ferrofluids and electrorheological fluids. Phase diagrams for systems with strong dipolar coupling are not precisely known. Possible liquid state phase transitions include phase separation and spontaneous polarization. We present a set of generic phase diagrams for the fluid states of dipolar spheres and spheroids, focusing on the interplay of polarization and phase separation.