Disordered multihyperuniformity derived from binary plasmas

Disordered multihyperuniform many-particle systems are exotic amorphous states that allow exquisite color sensing capabilities due to their anomalous suppression of density fluctuations for distinct subsets of particles, as recently evidenced in photoreceptor mosaics in avian retina. Motivated by this biological finding, we present a statistical-mechanical model that rigorously achieves disordered multihyperuniform many-body systems by tuning interactions in binary mixtures of nonadditive hard-disk plasmas. We demonstrate that multihyperuniformity competes with phase separation and stabilizes a clustered phase. Our work provides a systematic means to generate disordered multihyperuniform solids, and hence lays the groundwork to explore their potentially unique photonic, phononic, electronic, and transport properties.

Figure 1

Total and partial structure factor of the NAHD plasma for various values of the $\lambda$ parameter tuning the Coulomb interaction between unlike particles. Solid curves correspond to RHNC-PY calculations, and symbols denote Monte Carlo data. The multihyperuniformity induced by Coulomb interactions when $\lambda \ne 1$ counteracts phase separation by stabilization of a clusterlike phase with intermediate-range order. This is reflected in the prepeak occurring at $Q\sigma \lesssim 2.3$. The insets illustrate the low-$Q$ behavior of $S_{ii}\left(Q\right)$ as determined from Eq. (S3) in the Supplemental Material [28], and of $S\left(Q\right)$ from Eq. (11) (dashed curves). Note that given the symmetry in the interactions and composition, $S_{11}=S_{22}$.

Figure 2

Snapshots of Monte Carlo configurations of the NAHD two-component plasma with (a) the unlike Coulomb interaction turned off ($\lambda =0$, left panel), and (b) identical Coulomb interaction between like and unlike particles ($\lambda =1$, right panel). One sees the buildup of mostly linear finite clusters of particles in the multihyperuniform case, i.e., when the unlike Coulomb interaction is turned off ($\lambda =0$).