Van der Waals Forces for the Inert Gases

Theoretical and experimental values of electric-dipole oscillator strengths for inert-gas atoms are analyzed to yield a set of oscillator strengths, which satisfy the Thomas-Kuhn sum rule, and which reproduce the experimental refractive indices and Verdet constants. These oscillator strengths are then used to calculate the long-range van der Waals interaction between all pairs of atoms selected from helium, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon. The derived interaction constants are probably in error by less than 10%. They disagree with the currently accepted values of the interaction constants.