Dipole moment

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The electric dipole moment is a measure of polarity. It is the second term in a multipole expansion of a field (the first one being the monopole, or Coulombic, term.) Its definition, for a system of point charges, is given by

For molecular systems, it is customarily given in units of Debyes, after the physicist Peter J. W. Debye. In SI units, D equals approximately Coulomb-meter (exactly C m/s divided by , the speed of light in vacuum). Conversely, 1 C m = D. This is unit is convenient for molecular systems since 1ÅD.