Dimeric and dipolar ground state orders in colloidal molecular crystals.

A two-dimensional colloidal suspension subject to a periodic substrate evolves into a colloidal molecular crystal under situations of strong confinement. We focus on the long-range orientational order thereby emerging, in the ground state. We study by simulations the situations where in each trap lies a pair of identical colloids, or alternatively a pair of oppositely charged macroions. We consider square or triangular geometries for the periodic confinement, together with less symmetric distorted lattices.