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arXiv · cond-mat/9905238

Light Induced Melting of Colloidal Crystals in Two Dimensions

Erwin Frey·David R. Nelson·Leo Radzihovsky
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Abstract

We demonstrate that particles confined to two dimensions (2d) and subjected to a one-dimensional (1d) periodic potential exhibit a rich phase diagram, with both ``locked floating solids'' and smectic phases. The resulting phases and phase transitions are studied as a function of temperature and potential strength. We find reentrant melting as a function of the potential strength. Our results lead to universal predictions consistent with recent experiments on 2d colloids in the presence of a laser-induced 1d periodic potential.

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Erwin Frey, David R. Nelson, Leo Radzihovsky. 1999-05-17. Light Induced Melting of Colloidal Crystals in Two Dimensions. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.83.2977

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