Statistical mechanics of two-dimensional Coulomb systems

We report the results of molecular dynamics calculations of the two-dimensional one-component plasma with logarithmic interactions between the particles. A solid-fluid transition is observed for Γ = q2kT ≈ 135. The hysteresis observed on traversing the transition region indicates that the transition is first order. The velocity autocorrelation function shows marked oscillations in the strong coupling region, with a frequency, almost independent of Γ, close to the plasma frequency.