Ionic mixtures in two dimensions: From regular to empty crystals

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Published 16 February 2010 Europhysics Letters Association
, , Citation L. Assoud et al 2010 EPL 89 36001 DOI 10.1209/0295-5075/89/36001

0295-5075/89/3/36001

Abstract

The ground state of a two-dimensional ionic mixture at zero pressure composed of oppositely charged spheres is determined as a function of the size asymmetry by using a penalty method. The cascade of stable structures includes square, triangular and rhombic crystals as well as "empty" crystals made up of dipoles and chains, which have a vanishing number density. Thereby we confirm the square structure, found experimentally on charged granulates, and predict new phases detectable in experiments on granular and colloidal matter.

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10.1209/0295-5075/89/36001