The melting of the classical two dimensional Wigner crystal

Abstract

We report an extensive Monte-Carlo study of the melting of the classical two dimensional Wigner crystal for a system of point particles interacting via the $1/r$-Coulomb potential. A hexatic phase is found in systems large enough. With the multiple histograms method and the finite size scaling theory, we show that the fluid/hexatic phase transition is weakly first order. No set of critical exponents, consistent with a Kosterlitz-Thouless transition and the finite size scaling analysis for this transition, have been found.