Convex Regular Polychora Nanocrystals with Dipole-Dipole Interactions.

Abstract

Structures composed of classical dipoles in higher-dimensional space present a unique opportunity to venture beyond the conventional paradigm of few-body or cluster physics. In this work, we consider the six convex regular polychora that exist in an Euclidean four-dimensional space as a theoretical benchmark for hte investigation of dipolar systems in higher dimensions. The structures under consideration represent the four-dimensional counterparts of the well-known Platonic solids in three-dimensions. A dipole is placed in each vertex of the structure and is allowed to interact with the rest of the system via the usual dipole-dipole interaction generalized to the higher dimension. We use numerical tools to minimize the total interaction energy of the systems and observe that all six structures represent dipole clusters with a zero net dipole moment. The minimum energy is achieved for dipoles arranging themselves with orientations whose angles are commensurate or irrational fractions of the number π.