Towards understanding the ordering behavior of hard needles: Analytical solutions in one dimension

Abstract

We re-examine the ordering behavior of a one-dimensional fluid of freely rotating hard needles, where the centers of mass of the particles are restricted to a line. Analytical equations are obtained for the equation of state, order parameter, and orientational correlation functions using the transfer-matrix method if some simplifying assumptions are applied for either the orientational freedom or the contact distance between two needles. The two-state Zwanzig model accounts for the orientational ordering, but it produces unphysical pressure at high densities and there is no orientational correlation. The four-state Zwanzig model gives reasonable results for orientational correlation function, but the pressure is still poorly represented at high densities. In the continuum limit, apart from the orientational correlation length it is managed to reproduce all relevant bulk properties of the hard needles using an approximate formula for the contact distance. The results show that the orientational correlation length diverges at zero and infinite pressures. The high-density behavior of the fluid of needles is not resolved.