Physics – Plasma Physics
Scientific paper
2008-05-20
Physics
Plasma Physics
Scientific paper
10.1103/PhysRevE.78.036408
Recently the occurrence probabilities of ground- and metastable states of three-dimensional Yukawa clusters with 27 and 31 particles have been analyzed in dusty plasma experiments [Block et al., Physics of Plasmas 15, 040701 (2008)]. There it was found that, in many cases, the ground state appeared substantially less frequently than excited states. Here we analyze this question theoretically by means of molecular dynamics (MD) and Monte Carlo simulations and an analytical method based on the canonical partition function. We confirm that metastable states can occur with a significantly higher probability than the ground state. The results strongly depend on the screening parameter of the Yukawa interaction and the damping coefficient used in the MD simulations. The analytical method allows one to gain insight into the mechanisms being responsible for the occurrence probabilities of metastable states in strongly correlated finite systems.
Baumgartner H.
Block David
Bonitz Michael
Kählert Hanno
Ludwig Patrick
No associations
LandOfFree
Probability of metastable configurations in spherical three-dimensional Yukawa crystals does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Probability of metastable configurations in spherical three-dimensional Yukawa crystals, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Probability of metastable configurations in spherical three-dimensional Yukawa crystals will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-299962