Melting of Two-Dimensional Systems: Dependence of the Type of Transition on the Radius of the Potential

In the framework of the two-dimensional melting theory based on the density functional approach, we use a Monte–Carlo computer simulation to study melting of a two-dimensional hard disk system with a rectangular-well attraction potential. We show that depending on the attraction radius, the melting can occur via a single first-order transition as well as continuously in accordance with the Kosterlitz–Thouless–Halperin–Nelson–Young theory.