Second virial coefficients of dipolar hard spheres.

An asymptotic formula is reported for the second virial coefficient B(2) of a dipolar hard-sphere (DHS) fluid, in zero external field, for strongly coupled dipolar interactions. This simple formula, together with the one for the weak-coupling B(2), provides an accurate prediction of the second virial coefficient for a wide range of dipole moments, including those that are experimentally accessible in magnetite ferrofluids. The weak-coupling B(2) also yields an estimate of the magnetic moment minimally needed for isotropic gas-liquid phase-separation, if any, in the DHS fluid.