Thermal fluctuations of clusters with the long-range interaction

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Materials Science
• Computational Chemistry

Background:

• Particle clusters interact via short-range (Lennard-Jones) and long-range (gravity or electrostatic) potentials.
• Surface fluctuation spectra are crucial for understanding cluster stability and behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze surface fluctuation spectra of particle clusters with combined interactions.
• To investigate the influence of self-consistent fields on capillary modes and cluster fission.
• To compare theoretical predictions with molecular dynamics simulations.

Main Methods:

• Derivation of spectral amplitudes for capillary modes in a self-consistent field approximation.
• Molecular dynamics simulations using a novel integrator for multiscale systems.
• Analysis of surface tension independence from field strength and fission thresholds.

Main Results:

• Surface tension was found to be independent of field strength within the small amplitude approximation.
• An attracting field damps low wave vector amplitudes, while a repelling field magnifies them, potentially leading to cluster fission.
• Simulation results validated theoretical conclusions on mode damping and surface tension independence.

Conclusions:

• The study provides theoretical and simulation-based evidence for the behavior of particle clusters under combined interactions.
• The fission threshold differs from previous models due to the use of 'bare' surface tension.
• The findings have implications for understanding phase transitions and stability in condensed matter systems.