Neuhaus T, Marechal M, Schmiedeberg M, Löwen H (2013)
Publication Status: Published
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2013
Publisher: AMER PHYSICAL SOC
Book Volume: 110
Journal Issue: 11
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.118301
A competition of incommensurate symmetries occurs whenever a system is forced to conform to an ordering that is different from the intrinsically preferred structure of the system itself. As a model system of such a competition, we study the rivalry between the triangular ordering of hard disks and the square symmetry induced by a periodic square substrate. By using density functional theory as well as Monte Carlo computer simulations, we determine the full phase behavior for the case of one particle per minimum. We observe a rhombic preordering structure preceding the hexagonal solid as a direct consequence of the competing symmetries. Furthermore, the square-rhombic transition is reentrant with increasing substrate interaction. Our predictions can be verified in experiments of colloids in laser fields. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.118301
APA:
Neuhaus, T., Marechal, M., Schmiedeberg, M., & Löwen, H. (2013). Rhombic Preordering on a Square Substrate. Physical Review Letters, 110(11). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.118301
MLA:
Neuhaus, Tim, et al. "Rhombic Preordering on a Square Substrate." Physical Review Letters 110.11 (2013).
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