Eigenmodes and thermodynamics of a Coulomb chain in a harmonic potential

Giovanna Morigi1, Shmuel Fishman

  • 1Department of Quantum Physics, University of Ulm, D-89069 Ulm, Germany.

Physical Review Letters
|November 5, 2004
PubMed

Related Concept Videos

Force and Potential Energy in One Dimension01:13

Force and Potential Energy in One Dimension

Force can be calculated from the expression for potential energy, which is a function of position. The component of a conservative force, in a particular direction, equals the negative of the derivative of the corresponding potential energy with respect to the displacement in that direction. For regions where potential energy changes rapidly with displacement, the work done and force is maximum. Also, when force is applied along the positive coordinate axis, the potential energy decreases with...
Energy Diagrams - I01:14

Energy Diagrams - I

The dynamics of a mechanical system can be easily understood by interpreting a potential energy diagram. Since energy is a scalar quantity, the interpretation of the dynamics of the system becomes even simpler.
Take the example of a skater on a parabolic ramp. The potential energy at different points along the ramp will be proportional to the height of the ramp, which varies quadratically with the horizontal position on the ramp. As the skater moves down the ramp from the highest position,...
Modes of Standing Waves - I01:03

Modes of Standing Waves - I

A close look at earthquakes provides evidence for the conditions appropriate for resonance, standing waves, and constructive and destructive interference. A building may vibrate for several seconds with a driving frequency matching the building's natural frequency of vibration; this produces a resonance that results in one building collapsing while the neighboring buildings do not. Often, buildings of a certain height are devastated, while other taller buildings remain intact. This phenomenon...
Coulomb's Law01:30

Coulomb's Law

Experiments with electric charges have shown that if two objects each have an electric charge, they exert an electric force on each other. The magnitude of the force is linearly proportional to the net charge on each object and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The direction of the force vector is along the imaginary line joining the two objects and is dictated by the signs of the charges involved.
Newton's third law applies to the Coulomb force — the force on...
Coulomb's Law and The Principle of Superposition01:15

Coulomb's Law and The Principle of Superposition

Coulomb's Law describes the force experienced by two point charges under each other's presence. But what if there are more than two charges? For example, if there is a third charge, does it experience a force that is a simple combination of the individual forces due to the first two charges? Can it be described mathematically?
The Principle of Superposition answers the question. Yes, Coulomb's Law applies to each pair of charges, and the net force on each charge is the vector sum of the...
Thermodynamic Potentials01:26

Thermodynamic Potentials

Thermodynamic potentials are state functions that are extremely useful in analyzing a thermodynamic system. They have dimensions of energy. The four important thermodynamic potentials are internal energy, enthalpy, Helmholtz free energy, and Gibbs free energy. These thermodynamic potentials can be expressed using two of the following variables: pressure, volume, temperature, and entropy. These two variables are expressed as the rate of change of the thermodynamic potential with respect to other...