Effect of a quasi-aperiodic substrate on diffusion in a strongly coupled quasi-one-dimensional system

Abstract

This study investigates the diffusion of charged particles interacting through a Yukawa potential. Confined by a parabolic potential along the y-axis, the particles experience an aperiodic substrate potential along the x-axis. To analyze their diffusion behavior, we employ molecular dynamics simulations based on the Langevin equation. We primarily focus on the influence of particle density, system temperature, particle charge, and the aperiodicity parameter ($L_2$) of the quasi-aperiodic substrate on the system's diffusion characteristics. By adjusting $L_2$ for various system parameters, we can manipulate diffusion and observe diverse diffusion modes. Our findings reveal that the aperiodicity's effect becomes pronounced at lower densities and smaller $L_2$ values, leading to faster diffusion compared with the periodic case. However, over longer timescales, the system transitions to normal diffusion regardless of the specific parameters.