Configurational and energy landscape in one-dimensional Coulomb systems

Abstract

We study a one dimensional Coulomb system, where two charged colloids are neutralized by a collection of point counterions, with global neutrality. Temperature being given, two situations are addressed: the colloids are either kept at fixed positions (canonical ensemble), or the force acting on the colloids is fixed (isobaric-isothermal ensemble). The corresponding partition functions are worked out exactly, in view of determining which arrangement of counterions is optimal: how many counterions should be in the confined segment between the colloids? For the remaining ions outside, is there a left/right symmetry breakdown? We evidence a cascade of transitions, as system size is varied in the canonical treatment, or as pressure is increased in the isobaric formulation.

References in corpus (3)

• Charge neutrality breakdown in confined aqueous electrolytes: theory and simulation
• One-dimensional counterion gas between charged surfaces: Exact results compared with weak- and strong-coupling analysis
• Finite-Thickness and Charge Relaxation in Double-Layer Interactions

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Attraction of like-charged walls with counterions only: Exact results for the 2D cylinder geometry
• Relaxation dynamics of two interacting electrical double-layers in a 1D Coulomb system
• One-dimensional colloidal model with dielectric inhomogeneity
• Like-charge attraction in one- and two-dimensional Coulomb systems