Structure of strongly coupled colloidal plasmas: a Monte Carlo study

Monte Carlo simulations of strongly coupled two-component asymmetric plasma s based on the 'primitive model' are performed in order to study the proper ties of colloidal plasmas. It is shown, that the behavior of two-component plasmas critically depends on the plasma-grain coupling. Strong coupling ca uses the effect of 'plasma condensation' near grain surfaces accompanied by a marked reduce in the effective grain-grain forces. As a result, a conden sed state in the colloidal component can be observed only in the case of we akly coupled plasma background and high charge asymmetry. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.