Computer Simulation Studies of Phase Transitions in Two-Dimensional Systems of Molecules with Internal Degrees of Freedom

Abstract

This paper presents a brief overview including recent results obtained from simulation studies of models of pseudo-two-dimensional systems of molecules with translational (crystalline) as well as internal (conformational) degrees of freedom. The models, which include both lattice-gas Potts models and models of hard discs with varying sizes, have a general sphere of applicability. The models are here being used to describe the phase transitions between the condensed phases in lipid monolayers or lipid bilayers. The simulation results reveal an intricate interplay between ordering processes governed by the two different degrees of freedom.