Year: 2025
Type: preprint
Abstract: For two-patch particles in two dimensions, we find that the coupling of anisotropic patchy interactions and the triangular lattice leads to novel phase behaviors. For asymmetric patch-patch (PP) and nonpatch-nonpatch (NN) interactions, the system has dual orientationally ordered phases of the same symmetry, intermediated by a nematic phase. Both phase transitions from the nematic phase to dual ordered phases are continuous and belong to the same universality class, and they lead to highly nonmonotonic variations of the nematic order parameter. The system becomes disordered at high temperature through another continuous transition. When the PP and NN interactions become symmetric, the system has subextensive ground-state entropy, and with increasing temperature it undergoes two Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless phase transitions, with a critical phase connecting a nematic phase and a disordered phase. These results open up new opportunities for designing patchy interactions to study orientational phase transitions and critical phenomena.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Kong, Lingyao, Tong, Hua, Hu, Hao
Language: English
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7080138604
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