title: Frustrated colloidal ordering and fully packed loops in arrays of optical traps.
abstract: We propose that a system of colloidal particles interacting with a honeycomb array of optical traps that each contain three wells can be used to realize a fully packed loop model. One of the phases in this system can be mapped to Baxter's three-coloring problem, offering an easily accessible physical realization of this problem. As a function of temperature and interaction strength, we find a series of phases, including long range ordered loop or stripe states, stripes with sliding symmetries, random packed loop states, and disordered states in which the loops break apart. Our geometry could be constructed using ion trap arrays, BEC vortices in optical traps, or magnetic vortices in nanostructured superconductors.
authors.affiliation: Center for Nonlinear Studies and Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: Gia-Wei
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Chern
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reichhardt
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Olson Reichhardt
mesh_terms: D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D008027:Light; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D052898:Optical Tweezers
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids