Multipole Expansions of Aggregate Charge: How Far to Go?

Aggregates immersed in a plasma or radiative environment will have charge distributed over their extended surface. Previous studies have modeled the aggregate charge using the monopole and dipole terms of a multipole expansion, with results indicating that the dipole-dipole interactions play an important role in increasing the aggregation rate and altering the morphology of the resultant aggregates. This paper examines the effect that the inclusion of the quadrupole terms has on the dynamics of aggregates interacting with each other and the confining electric fields in laboratory experiments. The results are compared with modeling aggregates as a collection of point charges located at the center of each spherical monomer comprising the aggregate.