Ultrasoft classical systems at zero temperature

TL;DR

This paper develops an exact zero-temperature analysis for ultrasoft particle systems, predicting phase diagrams and cluster configurations in two and three dimensions with high precision.

Contribution

It introduces a methodology for deriving exact phase diagrams and analytical expressions for energy and phase locations in ultrasoft classical systems.

Findings

Exact phase diagrams for ultrasoft potentials

Analytical expressions for energy and phase boundaries

Identification of coexistence regions and large occupancy limits

Abstract

At low temperatures ultrasoft particle systems develop interesting phases via the self-assembly of particle clusters. In this study we develop a general zero-temperature analysis fully characterizing the ground state of such models in two and three dimensions, considering the classical system with the restriction of a constant integer number of particles per cluster. We show that this methodology allows for an exact prediction of the actual density values at which the different phases emerge, including the zones of uneven cluster occupation, which are studied as coexistence regions of two pure phases. Beyond the method itself, designed to produce exact phase diagrams from general ultrasoft potentials, we reach analytical expressions for the energy and location of the different phases in the large occupancy limit.