A general Onsager-type reaction field theory approach for simulating dielectric and optical properties is proposed, thereby giving a unified description for both macroscopic and microscopic properties of pure liquids. A demonstration is given for ab initio computations of the refractive index, the density fluctuation of the refractive index, and the local field factors of benzene and acetonitrile in the liquid phase, showing good agreement with available experimental data.

• Received 2 June 1997

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.57.4778