Formation of defects in multirow Wigner crystals

Abstract

We study the structural properties of a quasi-one-dimensional classical Wigner crystal, confined in the transverse direction by a parabolic potential. With increasing density, the one-dimensional crystal first splits into a zigzag crystal before progressively more rows appear. While up to four rows the ground state possesses a regular structure, five-row crystals exhibit defects in a certain density regime. We identify two phases with different types of defects. Furthermore, using a simplified model, we show that beyond nine rows no stable regular structures exist.

11 pages, 8 figures

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Cited by in corpus (5)

• Structural Order and Melting of a Quasi-One-Dimensional Electron System
• Generic ordering of structural transitions in quasi-one-dimensional Wigner crystals
• Bistable Transport Properties of a Quasi-One-Dimensional Wigner Solid on Liquid Helium under Continuous Driving
• Avalanches, Plasticity, and Ordering in Colloidal Crystals Under Compression
• Chain-like transitions in Wigner crystals: Sequential or non-sequential?