Electrostatic energy of solid binary ionic mixtures

Abstract

We study the electrostatic energy of binary ionic mixtures (BIMs) in the form of Coulomb crystals with the main focus on ordered crystals. We consider 15 different binary bcc-like lattices, accurately calculate their electrostatic energies and approximate them by a unified equation. These results extend those available in the literature. A detailed comparison with selected previous results is made, particularly, using previous calculations in the linear mixing rule approximation. The case of disordered BIMs is also outlined. The results are expected to be useful for exploring multi-component Coulomb systems in compact stars, laboratory plasmas, and technological applications.