A complementary thermodynamic limit for classical Coulomb matter
- Institut fuer Theoretische Physik IV, Bochum (Germany)
The canonical equilibrium measure of classical two-component Coulomb matter with regularized interactions is analyzed in a finite volume. It is shown that, in the mean-field regime, the one-particle density is homogeneous on a new characteristic length scale [lambda][sub inh]. For a system of N positive and N negative particles, [lambda][sub inh] and the characteristic length scale of correlations [lambda][sub corr] (=Debye screening length) are related via [lambda][sub inh] = (2N)[sup 1/2][lambda][sub corr]. The major conceptual conclusion that is drawn from this is that one needs two nontrivial complementary thermodynamic limits to define the equilibrium thermodynamics of two-component Coulomb systems. One of them is the standard thermodynamic limit (infinite volume), where one takes N [yields] [infinity], [lambda][sub corr] fixed. Its complementary limit is characterized by N [yields] [infinity], [lambda][sub inh] fixed, and is a finite-volume inhomogeneous mean-field limit. The most prominent new feature in the mean-field thermodynamic limit, which is absent in the standard thermodynamic limit, is an anomalous first-order phase transition where the Coulomb system explodes or implodes, respectively. The phase transition is connected with the existence of a metastable plasma phase far below the ionization temperature.
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-86ER53223
- OSTI ID:
- 5706691
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Statistical Physics; (United States), Vol. 59:5-6; ISSN 0022-4715
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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