Structural Transitions in a Classical Two-Dimensional Molecule System

TL;DR

This paper investigates the structural transitions and symmetry breaking in a classical two-dimensional charged particle system influenced by impurity charges and substrate dielectric properties, revealing complex phase behaviors and unbinding phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of how impurity charge configuration and substrate dielectric constant induce structural transitions and symmetry breaking in a classical 2D charged particle system.

Findings

Identification of structural transitions as impurity separation varies

Observation of symmetry breaking states in the system

Unbinding of particles influenced by dielectric constant

Abstract

The ground state of a classical two-dimensional (2D) system with finite number of charged particles, trapped by two positive impurities charges localized at a distance (zo) from the 2D plane and separated from each other by a distance xp are obtained. The impurities are allowed to carry more than one positive charge. This classical system can form a 2D-like classical molecule that exhibits structural transitions and spontaneous symmetry breaking as a function of the separation between the positive charges before it transforms into two independent 2D-like classical atoms. We also observe structural transitions as a function of the dielectric constant of the substrate which supports the charged particles, in addition to broken symmetry states and unbinding of particles.