2021 Impact factor 1.624
Soft Matter and Biological Physics

Eur. Phys. J. E 1, 153-157

Melting transition of a network model in two dimensions

G. Gompper1,2 - D.M. Kroll3

1 Max-Planck-Institut für Kolloid- und Grenzflächenforschung, Am Mühlenberg, Haus 2, 14476 Golm, Germany
2 Institut für Festkörperforschung, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
3 Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Minnesota Supercomputer Institute, University of Minnesota,
308 Harvard Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
g.gompper@fz-juelich.de

Received 4 June 1999 and Revised in final form 1 September 1999

Abstract
The freezing transition of a network model for tensionless membranes confined to two dimensions is investigated by Monte Carlo simulations and scaling arguments. In this model, a freezing transition is induced by reducing the tether length. Translational and bond-orientational order parameters and elastic constants are determined as a function of the tether length. A finite-size scaling analysis is used to show that the crystal melts via successive dislocation and disclination unbinding transitions, in qualitative agreement with the predictions of the Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young theory. The hexatic phase is found to be stable over only a very small interval of tether lengths.

PACS
61.20.Ja Computer simulation of liquid structure - 61.72.Bb Theories and models of crystal defects - 64.70.Dv Solid-liquid transitions

Copyright EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag

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