Equilibrium properties and phase diagram of two-dimensional Yukawa systems.

Properties of two-dimensional strongly coupled Yukawa systems are explored through molecular dynamics simulations. An effective coupling coefficient gamma* for the liquid phase is introduced on the basis of the constancy of the first peak amplitude of the pair-correlation functions. Thermodynamic quantities are calculated from the pair-correlation function. The solid-liquid transition of the system is investigated through the analysis of the bond-angular order parameter. The static structure function satisfies consistency relation, attesting to the reliability of the computational method. The response is shown to be governed by the correlational part of the inverse compressibility. An analysis of the velocity autocorrelation demonstrates that this latter also exhibits a universal behavior.