DISPERSITY-DRIVEN MELTING TRANSITION IN 2-DIMENSIONAL SOLIDS

Citation
Mr. Sadrlahijany et al., DISPERSITY-DRIVEN MELTING TRANSITION IN 2-DIMENSIONAL SOLIDS, Physical review letters, 79(17), 1997, pp. 3206-3209
Citations number
28
Categorie Soggetti
Physics
Journal title
ISSN journal
00319007
Volume
79
Issue
17
Year of publication
1997
Pages
3206 - 3209
Database
ISI
SICI code
0031-9007(1997)79:17<3206:DMTI2S>2.0.ZU;2-I
Abstract
We perform extensive simulations of 10(4) Lennard-Jones particles to s tudy the effect of particle size dispersity on the thermodynamic stabi lity of two-dimensional solids. We find a novel phase diagram in the d ispersity-density parameter space. We observe that for large values of density there is a threshold value of the size dispersity above which the solid melts to a liquid along a line of first order phase transit ions. For smaller values of density, our results are consistent with t he presence of an intermediate hexatic phase. Further, these findings support the possibility of a multicritical point in the dispersity-den sity parameter space.