Molecular-dynamics simulation of methane adsorbed on MgO: Evidence for a Kosterlitz-Thouless transition

Abstract

A realistic model of a monolayer molecular crystal of methane adsorbed on the (100) surface of MgO has been studied by means of molecular dynamics. The model treates the atomicity of the MgO substrate explicitly. Large corrugations in energy are found for both the translational and rotational motion of methane across the substrate. The preferred configurations of adsorption is over an Mg²⁺ ion in a tripod-down orientation. The orientationally ordered low-energy states of the monolayer have been found. Finite-size-scaling calculations on systems of different sizes indicate, however, that the ordered state exhibits only quasi-long-range order. The disclinations in the ordered phase exist in low concentrations and in bound pairs. Evidence is presented for a Kosterlitz-Thouless-type unbinding transition occurring at T _c ≈ 27 K. No evidence is found for a first-order transition. The specific heat exhibits an anomaly at T ≈ 32 K. The disclination density in the region of the transition is reported; below T _c, this density can be fitted to an Arrhenius-type law, yielding an estimate of the core enegy for a bound vortex-antivortex pair.