Structure and thermodynamics of a two-dimensional Coulomb fluid in the strong association regime.

The behavior of a two-dimensional neutral Coulomb fluid in the strong association regime (low density, high ionic charge) is explored by means of computer simulation and the hypernetted chain integral equation. The theory reproduces reasonably well the structure and thermodynamics of the system but presents a no-solution region at temperatures well above the computer simulation estimates of the metal-insulator transition. In contrast with hypernetted chain predictions for the three-dimensional Coulomb fluid, here the breakdown of the solution is not accompanied by divergences in any physical quantity.