Identity Ordering and Metastable Clusters in Fluids with Random Interactions

We use Langevin dynamics simulations to study dense two-dimensional systems of particles where all binary interactions are different (AID) in the sense that each interaction parameter is characterized by a randomly chosen number. We compare two systems that differ by the probability distributions from which the interaction parameters are drawn: uniform (U) and exponential (E). Both systems undergo neighborhood identity ordering (NIO) and form metastable clusters in the fluid phase near the liquid-solid transition but the effects are much stronger in E than in U systems. Possible implications of our results for the control of the structure of multicomponent alloys are discussed.