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Counterions at Charged Cylinders: Criticality and universality beyond mean-field

Ali Naji·Roland R. Netz
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Abstract

The counterion-condensation transition at charged cylinders is studied using Monte-Carlo simulation methods. Employing logarithmically rescaled radial coordinates, large system sizes are tractable and the critical behavior is determined by a combined finite-size and finite-ion-number analysis. Critical counterion localization exponents are introduced and found to be in accord with mean-field theory both in 2 and 3 dimensions. In 3D the heat capacity shows a universal jump at the transition, while in 2D, it consists of discrete peaks where single counterions successively condense.

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Ali Naji, Roland R. Netz. 2005-04-18. Counterions at Charged Cylinders: Criticality and universality beyond mean-field. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.95.185703

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