Diffusion in Coulomb Crystals

Understand

Diffusion in coulomb crystals can be important for the structure of neutron star crusts.

• We determine diffusion constants $D$ from molecular dynamics simulations.
• We find that $D$ for coulomb crystals with relatively soft-core $1/r$ interactions may be larger than $D$ for Lennard-Jones or other solids with harder-core interactions.
• Diffusion, for simulations of nearly perfect body-centered-cubic lattices, involves the exchange of ions in ring-like configurations.