Probing Disordered Substrates by Imaging the Adsorbate in its Fluid Phase

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that imaging the fluid phase of interacting particles on disordered substrates can reveal detailed information about substrate disorder through analysis of density correlations, supported by simulations and theoretical models.

Contribution

It introduces a method to extract substrate disorder information from fluid phase imaging data using Monte Carlo simulations and replica liquid state theories.

Findings

Density correlation functions reveal substrate disorder effects.

Simulated data matches theoretical predictions.

Proposes experimental measurement of new distribution functions.

Abstract

Several recent imaging experiments access the equilibrium density profiles of interacting particles confined to a two-dimensional substrate. When these particles are in a fluid phase, we show that such data yields precise information regarding substrate disorder as reflected in one-point functions and two-point correlations of the fluid. Using Monte Carlo simulations and replica generalizations of liquid state theories, we extract unusual two-point correlations of time-averaged density inhomogeneities induced by disorder. Distribution functions such as these have not hitherto been measured but should be experimentally accessible.