| Model colloids in external periodic potentials show interesting ``re-entrant'' phase transitions as function of potential amplitude, which are analyzed by computer simulations and ``finite size scaling''- techniques. Effects of the interaction range on the phase diagram are discussed, and quantum effects computed by path integral Monte Carlo. In the field of nanostructures we present studies of the interaction between atomic clusters, the effect of stretching processes on the conductance histograms of nano wires, as well as the effect of geometric confinement on magnetic domain walls. We discuss the methods and compare with experiments. |
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