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Hexatic phase
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<h2 id="order-parameter">Order parameter</h2> <p>The hexatic phase can be described by two <a href="/facts/Phase_transition/eLP2BY8R">order parameters</a>, where the <a href="/facts/Translational_symmetry/PYVMaqWb">translational order</a> is short ranged (exponential decay) and the <a href="/facts/Rotational_symmetry/bpvJqcnS">orientational</a> order is quasi-long ranged (algebraic decay). </p> <table><tbody><tr><th>phase</th><th>translational order</th><th>orientational order</th><th>defects</th></tr><tr><td>crystalline</td><td>quasi-long range: G G → ( R → ) ∝ R − η G → {\displaystyle G_{\vec {G}}({\vec {R}})\propto R^{-\eta _{\vec {G}}}} </td><td>long range: lim r → ∞ G 6 ( r → ) ∝ c o n s t . {\displaystyle \lim _{r\to \infty }G_{6}({\vec {r}})\propto const.} </td><td>no defects</td></tr><tr><td>hexatic (anisotropic fluid)</td><td>short range: G G → ( R → ) ∝ e − R / ξ G → {\displaystyle G_{\vec {G}}({\vec {R}})\propto e^{-R/\xi _{\vec {G}}}} </td><td>quasi-long range: G 6 ( r → ) ∝ r − η 6 {\displaystyle G_{6}({\vec {r}})\propto r^{-\eta _{6}}} </td><td>dislocations</td></tr><tr><td>isotropic fluid</td><td>short range: G G → ( R → ) ∝ e − R / ξ G → {\displaystyle G_{\vec {G}}({\vec {R}})\propto e^{-R/\xi _{\vec {G}}}} </td><td>short range: G 6 ( r → ) ∝ e − r / ξ 6 {\displaystyle G_{6}({\vec {r}})\propto e^{-r/\xi _{6}}} </td><td>dislocations and disclinations</td></tr></tbody></table> <h3>Translational order</h3> <p>If the position of atoms or particles is known, then the translational order can be determined with the translational <a href="/facts/Correlation_function_(statistical_mechanics)/eWP84mzu"> correlation function</a> G G → ( R → ) {\displaystyle G_{\vec {G}}({\vec {R}})} as function of the distance between <a href="/facts/Bravais_lattice/7gQKTsXk">lattice site</a> at place R → {\displaystyle {\vec {R}}} and the place 0 → {\displaystyle {\vec {0}}} , based on the two-dimensional density function ρ G → ( R → ) = e i G → ⋅ [ R → + u → ( R → ) ] {\displaystyle \rho _{\vec {G}}({\vec {R}})=e^{i{\vec {G}}\cdot [{\vec {R}}+{\vec {u}}({\vec {R}})]}} in <a href="/facts/Reciprocal_lattice/jYCjcEpH">reciprocal space</a>: </p> G G → ( R → ) = ⟨ ρ G → ( R → ) ⋅ ρ G → ∗ ( 0 → ) ⟩ {\displaystyle G_{\vec {G}}({\vec {R}})=\langle \rho _{\vec {G}}({\vec {R}})\cdot \rho _{\vec {G}}^{\ast }({\vec {0}})\rangle } <p>The <a href="/facts/Vector_space/M1pxMLx2">vector</a> R → {\displaystyle {\vec {R}}} points to a lattice site within the <a href="/facts/Crystal/e2R2mk3E">crystal</a>, where the atom is allowed to fluctuate with an amplitude u → ( R → ) {\displaystyle {\vec {u}}({\vec {R}})} by thermal motion. G → {\displaystyle {\vec {G}}} is a reciprocal vector in <a href="/facts/Fourier_series/s3fsxPAT">Fourier space</a>. The brackets denote a statistical average about all pairs of atoms with distance R. </p><p>The translational correlation function decays fast, i. e. exponential, in the hexatic phase. In a 2D crystal, the translational order is quasi-long range and the correlation function decays rather slow, i. e. algebraic; It is not perfect long range, as in three dimensions, since the displacements u → ( R → ) {\displaystyle {\vec {u}}({\vec {R}})} diverge logarithmically with systems size at temperatures above T=0 due to the <a href="/facts/Mermin%25E2%2580%2593Wagner_theorem/69Alfdrj">Mermin-Wagner theorem</a>. </p><p>A disadvantage of the translational correlation function is, that it is strictly spoken only well defined within the crystal. In the isotropic fluid, at the latest, disclinations are present and the reciprocal lattice vector is not defined any more. </p> <h3>Orientational order</h3> <p>The orientational order can be determined by the local director field of a particle at place r → i {\displaystyle {\vec {r}}_{i}} , if the angles θ i j {\displaystyle \theta _{ij}} are taken, given by the bond to the N i {\displaystyle N_{i}} nearest neighbours in sixfolded space, normalized with the number of nearest neighbours: </p> Ψ ( r → i ) = 1 N i ∑ j = 1 N i e i 6 θ i j {\displaystyle \Psi ({\vec {r}}_{i})={\frac {1}{N_{i}}}\sum _{j=1}^{N_{i}}e^{i6\theta _{ij}}} <p> Ψ {\displaystyle \Psi } is a <a href="/facts/Complex_number/2w7mqI7e">complex number</a> of magnitude | Ψ ( r → ) | ≤ 1 {\displaystyle |\Psi ({\vec {r}})|\leq 1} and the orientation of the six-folded director is given by the phase. In a hexagonal crystal, this is nothing else but the crystal-axes. The local director field disappears for a particle with five or seven nearest neighbours, as given by dislocations and disclinations Ψ ∼ 0 {\displaystyle \Psi \sim 0} , except a small contribution due to thermal motion. The orientational correlation function between two particles i and k at distance r → = r → i − r → k {\displaystyle {\vec {r}}={\vec {r}}_{i}-{\vec {r}}_{k}} is now defined using the local director field: </p> G 6 ( r → ) = ⟨ Ψ ( r → i ) ⋅ Ψ ∗ ( r → k ) ⟩ {\displaystyle G_{6}({\vec {r}})=\langle \Psi ({\vec {r}}_{i})\cdot \Psi ^{\ast }({\vec {r}}_{k})\rangle } <p>Again, the brackets denote the statistical average about all pairs of particles with distance | r → | = r {\displaystyle |{\vec {r}}|=r} . All three thermodynamic phases can be identified with this orientational correlation function: it does not decay in the 2D crystal but takes a constant value (shown in blue in the figure). The stiffness against local torsion is arbitrarily large, Franks's constant is infinity. In the hexatic phase, the correlation decays with a power law (algebraic). This gives straight lines in a log-log-plot, shown in green in the Figure. In the isotropic phase, the correlations decay exponentially fast, this are the red curved lines in the log-log-plot (in a lin-log-plot, it would be straight lines). The discrete structure of the atoms or particles superimposes the correlation function, given by the minima at half integral distances a {\displaystyle a} . Particles which are poorly correlated in position, are also poorly correlated in their director. </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/XY_model/KT2GB1qW">XY model</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/KTHNY_theory/5zCNalTx">KTHNY theory</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Kosterlitz%25E2%2580%2593Thouless_transition/Fzav8LFh">Kosterlitz–Thouless transition</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2018/06/kosterlitz-lecture.pdf">Nobel-talk 2016 from M. Kosterlitz</a></li></ul> <ul><li>Kosterlitz, J M; Thouless, D J (12 June 1972). "Long range order and metastability in two dimensional solids and superfluids. (Application of dislocation theory)". <i>Journal of Physics C: Solid State Physics</i>. 5 (11): L124 – L126. <a href="/facts/Bibcode_(identifier)/9HtdQSGB">Bibcode</a>:<a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1972JPhC....5L.124K">1972JPhC....5L.124K</a>. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1088%2F0022-3719%2F5%2F11%2F002">10.1088/0022-3719/5/11/002</a>. <a href="/facts/ISSN_(identifier)/DPAflDvU">ISSN</a> <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0022-3719">0022-3719</a>.</li> <li>Kosterlitz, J M; Thouless, D J (12 April 1973). "Ordering, metastability and phase transitions in two-dimensional systems". <i>Journal of Physics C: Solid State Physics</i>. 6 (7): 1181–1203. <a href="/facts/Bibcode_(identifier)/9HtdQSGB">Bibcode</a>:<a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1973JPhC....6.1181K">1973JPhC....6.1181K</a>. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1088%2F0022-3719%2F6%2F7%2F010">10.1088/0022-3719/6/7/010</a>. <a href="/facts/ISSN_(identifier)/DPAflDvU">ISSN</a> <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0022-3719">0022-3719</a>.</li> <li>Kosterlitz, J M (21 March 1974). "The critical properties of the two-dimensional xy model". <i>Journal of Physics C: Solid State Physics</i>. 7 (6): 1046–1060. <a href="/facts/Bibcode_(identifier)/9HtdQSGB">Bibcode</a>:<a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1974JPhC....7.1046K">1974JPhC....7.1046K</a>. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1088%2F0022-3719%2F7%2F6%2F005">10.1088/0022-3719/7/6/005</a>. <a href="/facts/ISSN_(identifier)/DPAflDvU">ISSN</a> <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0022-3719">0022-3719</a>.</li> <li>Nelson, David R.; Kosterlitz, J. M. (7 November 1977). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1103%2Fphysrevlett.39.1201">"Universal Jump in the Superfluid Density of Two-Dimensional Superfluids"</a>. <i>Physical Review Letters</i>. 39 (19): 1201–1205. <a href="/facts/Bibcode_(identifier)/9HtdQSGB">Bibcode</a>:<a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1977PhRvL..39.1201N">1977PhRvL..39.1201N</a>. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1103%2Fphysrevlett.39.1201">10.1103/physrevlett.39.1201</a>. <a href="/facts/ISSN_(identifier)/DPAflDvU">ISSN</a> <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0031-9007">0031-9007</a>.</li> <li>Halperin, B. I.; Nelson, David R. (10 July 1978). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1103%2Fphysrevlett.41.121">"Theory of Two-Dimensional Melting"</a>. <i>Physical Review Letters</i>. 41 (2): 121–124. <a href="/facts/Bibcode_(identifier)/9HtdQSGB">Bibcode</a>:<a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1978PhRvL..41..121H">1978PhRvL..41..121H</a>. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1103%2Fphysrevlett.41.121">10.1103/physrevlett.41.121</a>. <a href="/facts/ISSN_(identifier)/DPAflDvU">ISSN</a> <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0031-9007">0031-9007</a>.</li> <li>Nelson, David R.; Halperin, B. I. (1 February 1979). "Dislocation-mediated melting in two dimensions". <i>Physical Review B</i>. 19 (5): 2457–2484. <a href="/facts/Bibcode_(identifier)/9HtdQSGB">Bibcode</a>:<a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1979PhRvB..19.2457N">1979PhRvB..19.2457N</a>. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1103%2Fphysrevb.19.2457">10.1103/physrevb.19.2457</a>. <a href="/facts/ISSN_(identifier)/DPAflDvU">ISSN</a> <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0163-1829">0163-1829</a>.</li> <li>Young, A. P. (15 February 1979). "Melting and the vector Coulomb gas in two dimensions". <i>Physical Review B</i>. 19 (4): 1855–1866. <a href="/facts/Bibcode_(identifier)/9HtdQSGB">Bibcode</a>:<a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1979PhRvB..19.1855Y">1979PhRvB..19.1855Y</a>. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1103%2Fphysrevb.19.1855">10.1103/physrevb.19.1855</a>. <a href="/facts/ISSN_(identifier)/DPAflDvU">ISSN</a> <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0163-1829">0163-1829</a>.</li> <li>Jaster, A. (2004). "The hexatic phase of the two-dimensional hard disk system". <i>Physics Letters A</i>. 330 (1–2): 120–125. <a href="/facts/ArXiv_(identifier)/H6EtgnBe">arXiv</a>:<a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0305239">cond-mat/0305239</a>. <a href="/facts/Bibcode_(identifier)/9HtdQSGB">Bibcode</a>:<a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2004PhLA..330..120J">2004PhLA..330..120J</a>. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.physleta.2004.07.055">10.1016/j.physleta.2004.07.055</a>. <a href="/facts/ISSN_(identifier)/DPAflDvU">ISSN</a> <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0375-9601">0375-9601</a>. <a href="/facts/S2CID_(identifier)/ldJsHa2Y">S2CID</a> <a href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:119522893">119522893</a>.</li> <li>Keim, P.; Maret, G.; Grünberg, H.H.v. (2007). "Frank's constant in the hexatic phase". <i>Physical Review E</i>. 75 (3): 031402. <a href="/facts/ArXiv_(identifier)/H6EtgnBe">arXiv</a>:<a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0610332">cond-mat/0610332</a>. <a href="/facts/Bibcode_(identifier)/9HtdQSGB">Bibcode</a>:<a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007PhRvE..75c1402K">2007PhRvE..75c1402K</a>. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1103%2FPhysRevE.75.031402">10.1103/PhysRevE.75.031402</a>. <a href="/facts/PMID_(identifier)/JlHAvMHt">PMID</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17500696">17500696</a>. <a href="/facts/S2CID_(identifier)/ldJsHa2Y">S2CID</a> <a href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:5886990">5886990</a>.</li> <li>Gasser, U.; Eisenmann, C.; Maret, G.; Keim, P. (2010). <a href="https://kops.uni-konstanz.de/bitstreams/755af5cb-660a-41db-b006-7fa675d9e121/download">"Melting of crystals in two dimensions"</a>. <i>ChemPhysChem</i>. 11 (5): 963–970. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002%2Fcphc.200900755">10.1002/cphc.200900755</a>. <a href="/facts/PMID_(identifier)/JlHAvMHt">PMID</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20099292">20099292</a>.</li> <li>Kosterlitz, M. (2016). "Commentary on Ordering, metastability and phase transitions in two-dimensional systems". <i>Journal of Physics C</i>. 28 (48): 481001. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1088%2F0953-8984%2F28%2F48%2F481001">10.1088/0953-8984/28/48/481001</a>. <a href="/facts/PMID_(identifier)/JlHAvMHt">PMID</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27665689">27665689</a>. <a href="/facts/S2CID_(identifier)/ldJsHa2Y">S2CID</a> <a href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:46754095">46754095</a>.</li></ul>