Two-component mixture of charged particles confined in a channel: melting

TL;DR

This study investigates the melting behavior of a binary charged particle system confined in a quasi-one-dimensional channel, revealing anisotropic melting, phase transitions, and effects of particle composition through Monte Carlo simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of melting in a binary charged system confined in a narrow channel, highlighting anisotropic melting and structural phase transitions.

Findings

Melting is anisotropic with different temperatures in different directions.

A temperature-induced phase transition occurs between two four-chain states.

In nearly symmetric mixtures, melting becomes isotropic with homogeneous charge distribution.

Abstract

The melting of a binary system of charged particles confined in a {\it quasi}-one-dimensional parabolic channel is studied through Monte Carlo simulations. At zero temperature the particles are ordered in parallel chains. The melting is anisotropic and different melting temperatures are obtained according to the spatial direction, and the different types of particles present in the system. Melting is very different for the single-, two- and four-chain configurations. A temperature induced structural phase transition is found between two different four chain ordered states which is absent in the mono-disperse system. In the mixed regime, where the two types of particles are only slightly different, melting is almost isotropic and a thermally induced homogeneous distribution of the distinct types of charges is observed.