Abstract
When a classical Coulomb system has macroscopic conducting behavior, its grand potential has universal finite-size corrections similar to the ones which occur in the free energy of a simple critical system: the massless Gaussian field. Here, the Coulomb system is assumed to be confined, by walls made of an ideal conductor material; this choice corresponds to simple (Dirichlet) boundary conditions for the Gaussian field. For ad-dimensional (d≥2) Coulomb system confined in a slab of thicknessW, the grand potential (in units ofk B T) per unit area has the universal term Γ(d/2)ζ(d)/2dπd/2Wd−1. For a two-dimensional Coulomb system confined, in a disk of radiusR, the grand potential (in units ofk B T) has the universal term (1/6) lnR. These results, of general validity, are checked on two-dimensional solvable models.
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Laboratoire Associé au Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique-URA 63.
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Jancovici, B., Téllez, G. Coulomb systems seen as critical systems: Ideal conductor boundaries. J Stat Phys 82, 609–632 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02179788
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02179788