INFLUENCE OF DISLOCATIONS IN THOMSONS PROBLEM

We investigate Thomson's problem of charges on a sphere as an example of a system with complex interactions. Assuming certain symmetries we can work with a larger number of charges than before. We found that, w hen the number of charges is large enough, the lowest energy states ar e not those with the highest symmetry. As predicted previously by Dodg son and Moore, the complex patterns in these states involve dislocatio n defects which screen the strains of the 12 disclinations required to satisfy Euler's theorem.