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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Simple monoclinic crystal phase in suspensions of hard ellipsoids
Patrick PfleidererTanja Schillingsubject
PhysicsCondensed matter physicsMonte Carlo method: Physics [G04] [Physical chemical mathematical & earth Sciences]NucleationRight angleEllipsoidCondensed Matter::Soft Condensed MatterCrystalColloid: Physique [G04] [Physique chimie mathématiques & sciences de la terre]Lattice (order)Statistical physicsMonoclinic crystal systemdescription
We present a computer simulation study on the crystalline phases of hard ellipsoids of revolution. For aspect ratios $\ensuremath{\geqslant}3$ the previously suggested stretched-fcc phase [Frenkel and Mulder, Mol. Phys. 55, 1171 (1985)] is replaced by a different crystalline phase. Its unit cell contains two ellipsoids with unequal orientations. The lattice is simple monoclinic. The angle of inclination of the lattice, $\ensuremath{\beta}$, is a very soft degree of freedom, while the two right angles are stiff. For one particular value of $\ensuremath{\beta}$, the close-packed version of this crystal is a specimen of the family of superdense packings recently reported [Donev et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 255506 (2004)]. These results are relevant for studies of nucleation and glassy dynamics of colloidal suspensions of ellipsoids.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-12-06 | Physical Review E |