Transition rate of aligned coupled electrical dipoles between equivalent stable equilibrium configurations

The dynamics of coupled electrical dipoles separated by a fixed distance is considered, in order to evaluate the rate constant for dipole flopping between the two equivalent equilibrium positions of mutual alignment. It is assumed the temperature to be low and the viscosity coefficient large. The interaction potential is expanded in powers of suitably defined angular variables, therefore the trajectories are solved which make the Onsager–Machlup Lagrangian functional integral stationary. These are the paths followed by the system making a transition between the two equivalent equilibrium configurations. A simple model is proposed in order to evaluate the mean escape rate.