Structure and dynamics of model colloidal clusters with short-range attractions

Robert S. Hoy
Phys. Rev. E 91, 012303 – Published 12 January 2015

Abstract

We examine the structure and dynamics of small isolated N-particle clusters interacting via short-ranged Morse potentials. “Ideally prepared ensembles” obtained via exact enumeration studies of sticky hard-sphere packings serve as reference states allowing us to identify key statistical-geometrical properties and to quantitatively characterize how nonequilibrium ensembles prepared by thermal quenches at different rates Ṫ differ from their equilibrium counterparts. Studies of equilibrium dynamics show nontrivial temperature dependence: nonexponential relaxation indicates both glassy dynamics and differing stabilities of degenerate clusters with different structures. Our results should be useful for extending recent experimental studies of small colloidal clusters to examine both equilibrium relaxation dynamics at fixed T and a variety of nonequilibrium phenomena.

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  • Received 14 July 2014
  • Revised 2 December 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.91.012303

©2015 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Robert S. Hoy*

  • Department of Physics, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, USA

  • *rshoy@usf.edu

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Vol. 91, Iss. 1 — January 2015

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