2-D Colloidal Crystals Formed Using Paramagnetic Particles with Tunable Potentials

Paramagnetic colloidal particles places in a high frequency magnetic field acquire a long-range attractive pair potential which can be controlled by frequency and magnetic field strength.  This system can be used to study 2-D colloidal crystallization and melting dynamics.  We will discuss the equilibrium phase properties using the radial distribution function and the bond-orientation correlation function.  A phase diagram that captures the 2-D structuring of this colloidal assembly will be presented.