Orientational ordering and correlation in quasi-one-dimensional hard-body fluids due to close-packing degeneracy

We study the orientational ordering properties of some quasi-one-dimensional hard-body fluids, where the anisotropic particles are confined to a straight line, while they are free to rotate in a plane. We examine a class of models where the close-packing structure is degenerate, i.e., the highest possible density can be realized with different orientational ordering. We find that the close-packing degeneracy always gives rise to a diverging orientational correlation, which can be a marker of phase transition, glass formation, and jamming. In the case of isotropic or partially ordered phases at the close-packing density, the diverging orientational correlation indicates a tendency for being a strongly ordered nematic phase. However, the orientational divergence in the perfect nematic phase shows that the particles must rotate in concert to go from one closely packed structure to another.