The rich polymorphic behavior of Wigner bilayers

TL;DR

This paper explores the diverse structural phases of Wigner bilayers confined between charged plates, revealing how variations in separation and charge asymmetry lead to complex pattern formations and unconventional phase transitions.

Contribution

It combines analytical and computational methods to uncover the rich polymorphic behavior of Wigner bilayers, highlighting new phases and transition phenomena.

Findings

Cascade of ordered patterns with changing parameters

Long-range attraction and macroscopic charges observed

Exotic phases and non-conventional phase transitions identified

Abstract

Self-assembly into target structures is an efficient material design strategy. Combining analytical calculations and computational techniques of evolutionary and Monte Carlo types, we report about a remarkable structural variability of Wigner bilayer ground states, when charges are confined between parallel charged plates. Changing the inter-layer separation, or the plate charge asymmetry, a cascade of ordered patterns emerges. At variance with the symmetric case phenomenology, the competition between commensurability features and charge neutralization leads to long range attraction, appearance of macroscopic charges, exotic phases, and non conventional phase transitions with distinct critical indices, offering the possibility of a subtle, but precise and convenient control over patterns.