A new lattice Monte Carlo method for simulating dielectric inhomogeneity

We present a new lattice Monte Carlo method for simulating systems involving dielectric contrast between different species by modifying an algorithm originally proposed by Maggs et al. The original algorithm is known to generate attractive interactions between particles that have different dielectric constant than the solvent. Here we show that such attractive force is spurious, arising from incorrectly biased statistical weight caused by the particle motion during the Monte Carlo moves. We propose a new, simple algorithm to resolve this erroneous sampling. We demonstrate the application of our algorithm by simulating an uncharged polymer in a solvent with different dielectric constant. Further, we show that the electrostatic fields in ionic crystals obtained from our simulations with a relatively small simulation box correspond well with results from the analytical solution. Thus, our Monte Carlo method avoids the need for the Ewald summation in conventional simulation methods for charged systems.