Identifying anomalous diffusion and melting in dusty plasmas

TL;DR

This paper investigates anomalous diffusion and melting in two-dimensional dusty plasmas using the self-intermediate scattering function, revealing how relaxation times and curve shapes indicate phase transitions and diffusion types.

Contribution

It introduces the use of self-ISF analysis to distinguish normal and anomalous diffusion and to identify phase transitions in dusty plasma systems.

Findings

Relaxation time scales with length in liquids.

Self-ISF shape indicates phase state.

Friction affects relaxation timing but not melting point.

Abstract

Anomalous diffusion in liquids and the solid-liquid phase transition (melting) are studied in two-dimensional Yukawa systems. The self-intermediate scattering function (self-ISF), calculated from simulation data, exhibits a temporal decay, or relaxation, with a characteristic relaxation time. This decay is found to be useful for distinguishing normal and anomalous diffusion in a liquid, and for identifying the solid-liquid phase transition. For liquids, a scaling of the relaxation time with length scale is found. For the solid-liquid phase transition, the shape of the self-ISF curve is found to be a sensitive indicator of phase. Friction has a significant effect on the timing of relaxation, but not the melting point.