Configurational and energy landscape in one-dimensional Coulomb systems
Abstract
We study a one dimensional Coulomb system, where two charged colloids are neutralized by a collection of point counterions, with global neutrality. Temperature being given, two situations are addressed: the colloids are either kept at fixed positions (canonical ensemble), or the force acting on the colloids is fixed (isobaric-isothermal ensemble). The corresponding partition functions are worked out exactly, in view of determining which arrangement of counterions is optimal: how many counterions should be in the confined segment between the colloids? For the remaining ions outside, is there a left/right symmetry breakdown? We evidence a cascade of transitions, as system size is varied in the canonical treatment, or as pressure is increased in the isobaric formulation.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1611.08524,
title = {Configurational and energy landscape in one-dimensional Coulomb systems},
author = {Lucas Varela and Gabriel Tellez and Emmanuel Trizac},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1611.08524},
year = {2017}
}