Hexatic smectic phase with algebraically decaying bond-orientational order

Lorenzo Agosta, Alfredo Metere, and Mikhail Dzugutov
Phys. Rev. E 97, 052702 – Published 10 May 2018

Abstract

The hexatic phase predicted by the theories of two-dimensional melting is characterized by the power-law decay of the orientational correlations, whereas the in-layer bond orientational order in all the hexatic smectic phases observed so far was found to be long range. We report a hexatic smectic phase where the in-layer bond orientational correlations decay algebraically, in quantitative agreement with the hexatic ordering predicted by the theory for two dimensions. The phase was formed in a molecular dynamics simulation of a one-component system of particles interacting via a spherically symmetric potential. The present results thus demonstrate that the theoretically predicted two-dimensional hexatic order can exist in a three-dimensional system.

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  • Received 25 September 2017
  • Revised 27 March 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.97.052702

©2018 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

  1. Research Areas
  1. Physical Systems
Interdisciplinary PhysicsAtomic, Molecular & OpticalParticles & FieldsGeneral PhysicsStatistical Physics & ThermodynamicsPolymers & Soft MatterCondensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Lorenzo Agosta1, Alfredo Metere2,*, and Mikhail Dzugutov3

  • 1Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius Väg. 16C, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
  • 2International Computer Science Institute, 1947 Center St., Berkeley, California 94704, USA
  • 3Royal Institute of Technology, SE-10044 Stockholm, Sweden

  • *alfredometere2@gmail.com

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Issue

Vol. 97, Iss. 5 — May 2018

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