Abstract
The consequences of a theory of dislocation-mediated two-dimensional melting are worked out for triangular lattices. Dissociation of dislocation pairs first drives a transition into a "liquid crystal" phase with exponential decay of translational order, but power-law decay of sixfold orientational order. A subsequent dissociation of disclination pairs at a higher temperature then produces an isotropic fluid. The critical behavior, as well as the effect of a periodic substrate, is discussed.
- Received 17 May 1978
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.41.121
©1978 American Physical Society
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Letters from the Past - A PRL Retrospective
2008 marked PRL’s 50th anniversary. As part of the celebrations a collection of milestone Letters was started. The collection contains Letters that have made long-lived contributions to physics, either by announcing significant discoveries, or by initiating new areas of research.
