Microscopic particle motions and topological defects in two-dimensional hexatics and dense fluids

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Abstract
We have used time-resolved digital imaging of uniform, charged polystyrene spheres in colloidal suspension confined between smooth glass plates to study in detail the nature of particle motions in equilibrated two-dimensional dense fluid, hexatic, and crystalline phases. We observe dynamic ordered regions in the fluid and hexatic phases, with strongly correlated particle hopping near their borders associated with motions and rearrangements of overlapping elementary dislocation pairs.