Classical electrons in laterally coupled diatomic 2D artificial molecule

Structural properties of a finite number ($N=2-20$) of point charges (classical electrons) confined laterally in a two-dimensional two-minima potential are calculated as a function of the distance ($d$) between the minima. The particles are confined by identical parabolic potentials and repel each other through a Coulomb potential. Both ground state and metastable electron configurations are discussed. At zero distance previous results of other calculations and experiments are reproduced. Discontinuous transitions from one configuration to another as a function of $d$ are observed for $N = 6, 8, 11, 16, 17, 18, 19$.