| Issue |
Europhys. Lett.
Volume 60, Number 3, November I 2002
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 474 - 480 | |
| Section | Interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/epl/i2002-00288-6 | |
| Published online | 01 October 2002 | |
Fluctuation-induced order in two-dimensional colloidal clusters
Department of Physics, University of Konstanz -
D-78457 Konstanz, Germany
Received:
26
April
2002
Accepted:
21
August
2002
The behavior of a finite number (N = 29) of paramagnetic colloidal particles in 2D circular hard-wall cavities is investigated. By applying a magnetic field B, the interaction between the particles is varied. We demonstrate that the angular diffusion of the particles which are arranged in shells is highly anisotropic and shows a non-monotonic behavior as a function of B. When reducing radial particle fluctuations in one shell by a ring-shaped optical tweezer, the relative angular diffusion between adjacent shells increases again. This clearly demonstrates that radial particle fluctuations are responsible for an enhanced registration between adjacent shells.
PACS: 82.70.Dd – Colloids / 64.60.Cn – Order-disorder transformations; statistical mechanics of model systems / 83.10.Tv – Structural and phase changes
© EDP Sciences, 2002
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