Density functional theory of freezing for soft interactions in two dimensions

TL;DR

This paper develops a density functional theory for two-dimensional freezing of particles with inverse-cube soft interactions, accurately predicting the transition in systems like paramagnetic colloids under magnetic fields.

Contribution

It introduces an extended modified weighted density approximation that incorporates triplet correlations, improving predictions of the freezing transition for soft interactions.

Findings

The theory accurately predicts the freezing transition point.

Good agreement with experimental data on paramagnetic colloids.

The approach advances understanding of 2D soft particle freezing.

Abstract

A density functional theory of two-dimensional freezing is presented for a soft interaction potential that scales as inverse cube of particle distance. This repulsive potential between parallel, induced dipoles is realized for paramagnetic colloids on an interface, which are additionally exposed to an external magnetic field. An extended modified weighted density approximation which includes correct triplet correlations in the liquid state is used. The theoretical prediction of the freezing transition is in good agreement with experimental and simulation data.