Non conventional screening of the Coulomb interaction in low dimensional and finite size system

TL;DR

This paper investigates how Coulomb interaction screening in low-dimensional and finite systems deviates from traditional models, revealing strong screening of short-range interactions and anti-screening of long-range interactions, which impacts correlation effects.

Contribution

It demonstrates the unconventional screening behavior in low-dimensional and finite systems, explaining the effectiveness of mean field theories for large molecules.

Findings

Short-range Coulomb interactions are strongly screened in 1D.

Long-range interactions are anti-screened in low-dimensional systems.

These effects reduce Coulomb gradients, influencing correlation effects.

Abstract

We study the screening of the Coulomb interaction in non polar systems by polarizable atoms. We show that in low dimensions and small finite size systems this screening deviates strongly from that conventionally assumed. In fact in one dimension the short range interaction is strongly screened and the long range interaction is anti-screened thereby strongly reducing the gradient of the Coulomb interaction and therefore the correlation effects. We argue that this effect explains the success of mean field single particle theories for large molecules.