Kibble-Zurek mechanism in colloidal monolayers.

The Kibble-Zurek mechanism describes the evolution of topological defect structures like domain walls, strings, and monopoles when a system is driven through a second-order phase transition. The model is used on very different scales like the Higgs field in the early universe or quantum fluids in condensed matter systems. A defect structure naturally arises during cooling if separated regions are too far apart to communicate (e.g., about their orientation or phase) due to finite signal velocity. This lack of causality results in separated domains with different (degenerated) locally broken symmetry. Within this picture, we investigate the nonequilibrium dynamics in a condensed matter analog, a 2D ensemble of colloidal particles. In equilibrium, it obeys the so-called Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young (KTHNY) melting scenario with continuous (second order-like) phase transitions. The ensemble is exposed to a set of finite cooling rates covering roughly three orders of magnitude. Along this process, we analyze the defect and domain structure quantitatively via video microscopy and determine the scaling of the corresponding length scales as a function of the cooling rate. We indeed observe the scaling predicted by the Kibble-Zurek mechanism for the KTHNY universality class.

Grain-boundary-induced melting in quenched polycrystalline monolayers.

Melting in two dimensions can successfully be explained with the Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young (KTHNY) scenario which describes the formation of the high-symmetry phase with the thermal activation of topological defects within an (ideally) infinite monodomain. With all state variables being well defined, it should hold also as freezing scenario where oppositely charged topological defects annihilate. The Kibble-Zurek mechanism, on the other hand, shows that spontaneous symmetry breaking alongside a continuous phase transition cannot support an infinite monodomain but leads to polycrystallinity. For any nonzero cooling rate, critical fluctuations will be frozen out in the vicinity of the transition temperature. This leads to domains with different director of the broken symmetry, separated by a defect structure, e.g., grain boundaries in crystalline systems. After instantaneously quenching a colloidal monolayer from a polycrystalline to the isotropic fluid state, we show that such grain boundaries increase the probability for the formation of dislocations. In addition, we determine the temporal decay of defect core energies during the first few Brownian times after the quench. Despite the fact that the KTHNY scenario describes a continuous phase transition and phase equilibrium does not exist, melting in polycrystalline samples starts at grain boundaries similar to first-order phase transitions.

Specific heat in two-dimensional melting.

We report the specific heat cN around the melting transition(s) of micrometer-sized superparamagnetic particles confined in two dimensions, calculated from fluctuations of positions and internal energy, and corresponding Monte Carlo simulations. Since colloidal systems provide single particle resolution, they offer the unique possibility to compare the experimental temperatures of the peak position of cN(T) and symmetry breaking, respectively. While order parameter correlation functions confirm the Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young melting scenario where translational and orientational order symmetries are broken at different temperatures with an intermediate so called hexatic phase, we observe a single peak of the specific heat within the hexatic phase, with excellent agreement between experiment and simulation. Thus, the peak is not associated with broken symmetries but can be explained with the total defect density, which correlates with the maximum increase of isolated dislocations. The absence of a latent heat strongly supports the continuous character of both transitions.

Two-dimensional melting under quenched disorder.

We study the influence of quenched disorder on the two-dimensional melting behavior of superparamagnetic colloidal particles, using both video microscopy and computer simulations of repulsive parallel dipoles. Quenched disorder is introduced by pinning a fraction of the particles to an underlying substrate. We confirm the occurrence of the Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young scenario and observe an intermediate hexatic phase. While the fluid-hexatic transition remains largely unaffected by disorder, the hexatic-solid transition shifts to lower temperatures with increasing disorder. This results in a significantly broadened stability range of the hexatic phase. In addition, we observe spatiotemporal critical(like) fluctuations, which are consistent with the continuous character of the phase transitions. Characteristics of first-order transitions are not observed.

Fluctuations of orientational order and clustering in a two-dimensional colloidal system under quenched disorder.

Using both video microscopy of superparamagnetic colloidal particles confined in two dimensions and corresponding computer simulations of repulsive parallel dipoles, we study the formation of fluctuating orientational clusters and topological defects in the context of the KTHNY-like melting scenario under quenched disorder. We analyze cluster densities, average cluster sizes, and the population of noncluster particles, as well as the development of defects, as a function of the system temperature and disorder strength. In addition, the probability distribution of clustering and orientational order is presented. We find that the well-known disorder-induced widening of the hexatic phase can be traced back to the distinct development characteristics of clusters and defects along the melting transitions from the solid phase to the hexatic phase to the isotropic fluid.