Counterions at charged cylinders: criticality and universality beyond mean-field theory.
The counterion-condensation transition at charged cylinders is studied using Monte Carlo simulations. Employing logarithmically rescaled radial coordinates, large system sizes are tractable and the critical behavior is determined by a combined finite-size and finite-ion-number analysis. Critical counterion localization exponents are introduced and found to be in accord with mean-field theory both in two (2D) and three (3D) dimensions. In 3D, the heat capacity shows a universal jump at the transition, while in 2D, it consists of discrete peaks where single counterions successively condense.
Naji
Ali
A
Physics Department, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany.
Netz
Roland R
RR