Charge Fluctuations for a Coulomb Fluid in a Disk on a Pseudosphere

The classical (i.e. non-quantum) equilibrium statistical mechanics of a Coulomb fluid living on a pseudosphere (an infinite surface of constant negative curvature) is considered. The Coulomb fluid occupies a large disk communicating with a reservoir (grand-canonical ensemble). The total charge $Q$ on the disk fluctuates. In a macroscopic description, the charge correlations near the boundary circle can be described as correlations of a surface charge density $\sigma$. In a macroscopic approach, the variance of $Q$ and the correlation function of $\sigma$ are computed; they are universal. These macroscopic results are shown to be valid for two solvable microscopic models, in the limit when the microscopic thickness of the surface charge density goes to zero.Comment: 19 pages, LaTe

Two-dimensional two-component plasma with adsorbing impurities

We study the behavior of the two-dimensional two-component plasma in the presence of some adsorbing impurities. Using a solvable model, we find analytic expressions for the thermodynamic properties of the plasma such as the $n$-body densities, the grand potential, and the pressure. We specialize in the case where there are one or two adsorbing point impurities in the plasma, and in the case where there are one or two parallel adsorbing lines. In the former case we study the effective interaction between the impurities, due to the charge redistribution around them. The latter case is a model for electrodes with adsorbing sticky sites on their surface

A two-dimensional one component plasma and a test charge : polarization effects and effective potential

We study the effective interactions between a test charge Q and a one-component plasma, i.e. a complex made up of mobile point particles with charge q, and a uniform oppositely charged background. The background has the form of a flat disk, in which the mobile charges can move. The test particle is approached perpendicularly to the disk, along its axis of symmetry. All particles interact by a logarithmic potential. The long and short distance features of the effective potential --the free energy of the system for a given distance between Q and the disk-- are worked out analytically in detail. They crucially depend on the sign of Q/q, and on the global charge borne by the discotic complex, that can vanish. While most results are obtained at the intermediate coupling Gamma = beta q^2 = 2 (beta being the inverse temperature), we have also investigated situations with stronger couplings: Gamma=4 and 6. We have found that at large distances, the sign of the effective force reflects subtle details of the charge distribution on the disk, whereas at short distances, polarization effects invariably lead to effective attractions.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figure

Like-charge attraction in a one-dimensional setting: the importance of being odd

From cement cohesion to DNA condensation, a proper statistical physics treatment of systems with long range forces is important for a number of applications in physics, chemistry, and biology. We compute here the effective force between fixed charged macromolecules, screened by oppositely charged mobile ions (counterions). We treat the problem in a one dimensional configuration, that allows for interesting discussion and derivation of exact results, remaining at a level of mathematical difficulty compatible with an undergraduate course. Emphasis is put on the counter-intuitive but fundamental phenomenon of like-charge attraction, that our treatment brings for the first time to the level of undergraduate teaching. The parity of the number of counterions is shown to play a prominent role, which sheds light on the binding mechanism at work when like-charge macromolecules do attract

Non-linear screening of spherical and cylindrical colloids: the case of 1:2 and 2:1 electrolytes

From a multiple scale analysis, we find an analytic solution of spherical and cylindrical Poisson-Boltzmann theory for both a 1:2 (monovalent co-ions, divalent counter-ions) and a 2:1 (reversed situation) electrolyte. Our approach consists in an expansion in powers of rescaled curvature $1/(\kappa a)$, where $a$ is the colloidal radius and $1/\kappa$ the Debye length of the electrolytic solution. A systematic comparison with the full numerical solution of the problem shows that for cylinders and spheres, our results are accurate as soon as $\kappa a>1$. We also report an unusual overshooting effect where the colloidal effective charge is larger than the bare one.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figure

Guest charges in an electrolyte: renormalized charge, long- and short-distance behavior of the electric potential and density profile

We complement a recent exact study by L. Samaj on the properties of a guest charge $Q$ immersed in a two-dimensional electrolyte with charges $+1/-1$. In particular, we are interested in the behavior of the density profiles and electric potential created by the charge and the electrolyte, and in the determination of the renormalized charge which is obtained from the long-distance asymptotics of the electric potential. In Samaj's previous work, exact results for arbitrary coulombic coupling $\beta$ were obtained for a system where all the charges are points, provided $\beta Q<2$ and $\beta < 2$. Here, we first focus on the mean field situation which we believe describes correctly the limit $\beta\to 0$ but $\beta Q$ large. In this limit we can study the case when the guest charge is a hard disk and its charge is above the collapse value $\beta Q>2$. We compare our results for the renormalized charge with the exact predictions and we test on a solid ground some conjectures of the previous study. Our study shows that the exact formulas obtained by Samaj for the renormalized charge are not valid for $\beta Q>2$, contrary to a hypothesis put forward by Samaj. We also determine the short-distance asymptotics of the density profiles of the coions and counterions near the guest charge, for arbitrary coulombic coupling. We show that the coion density profile exhibit a change of behavior if the guest charge becomes large enough ($\beta Q\geq 2-\beta$). This is interpreted as a first step of the counterion condensation (for large coulombic coupling), the second step taking place at the usual Manning--Oosawa threshold $\beta Q=2$