Tierno, PietroFischer, Thomas M.Johansen, Tom H.Sagués i Mestre, Francesc2010-07-052010-07-0520080031-9007https://hdl.handle.net/2445/13271We investigate the collective organization of paramagnetic colloidal particles externally driven above the periodic stripes of a uniaxial ferrimagnetic garnet film. An external field modulation induces vibration of the stripe walls and produces random motion of the particles. Defects in the stripe pattern break the symmetry of the potential and favor particle nucleation into large clusters above a critical density. Mismatch between particle size and pattern wavelength generates assemblies with different morphological order. At even higher field strengths, repulsive dipolar interactions between the particles induce cluster melting. We propose a novel approach to generate and externally control a variety of colloidal assemblies.4 p.application/pdfeng(c) American Physical Society, 2008Química físicaTransformacions de fase (Física estadística)Physical chemistry and chemical physicsPhase transformations (Statistical physics)info:eu-repo/semantics/article561522info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess