SCALED PARTICLE THEORY AND THE EFFICIENT CALCULATION OF THE CHEMICAL-POTENTIAL OF HARD-SPHERES IN THE NVT ENSEMBLE

We propose and test a new method for calculating the chemical potentia l of a hard-sphere fluid using Monte Carlo calculations in the NVT ens emble, which we call the SP-MC method. The method employs ideas from s caled particle theory (SPT), including a recent new SPT result of Smit h and Labik for hard-sphere mixtures. The method is based on the calcu lation of the chemical potential at infinite dilution of a series of h ard spheres of smaller diameter than that of the system of interest. U sing this easily obtained data in conjunction with theoretical conside rations, the chemical potential of the hard-sphere system may be accur ately obtained. The SP-MC method is more precise than any other curren tly available method, and it can be used up to extremely high densitie s, including into the metastable region.