Molecular dynamics simulations of two-dimensional clusters of charges

Abstract

We study structural and spectral properties of finite classical systems of N two-dimensional charged particles,confined by a parabolic potential µ, and interacting via inverse power-law potentials µ 1/r n' . Molecular dynamics simulations are performed for different cluster sizes (N = 30 to 230) and n, n' values 1, 2, 3 and 10. We also analyze the phase transition from a ring-like configuration to a Wigner structure as a function of parameter n' and anisotropy. We compare our results with Monte Carlo simulations of Bedanov and Peeters, obtaining good agreement. In addition, we determine the Voronoi structure of the cluster. Our work complements that of Cândido, Rino and Studart, who analyzed confinement in a screened parabolic potential.