ABSTRACT
In a particle suspension where magnetic or non-magnetic particles strongly interact with each other to aggregate to form clusters, it is necessary to employ effective methods for describing characteristics regarding the system and the internal structure of aggregates. The most desirable method may be snapshots that can provide a direct visual image of aggregate structures formed in the system and are quite useful for discussing the characteristics of the system from a qualitative point of view. In order to discuss system characteristics at a deeper level, it is desirable to use the distribution functions such as the radial distribution function, the pair correlation function and the orientational distribution function as these quantities are quite appropriate for a quantitative discussion of the internal structure of aggregates. In the following we address these quantities, including their defi nitions, and demonstrate how they effectively characterize the system by using example snapshots obtained from Monte Carlo simulations for various cases of external magnetic fi eld strength and magnetic particle-particle interaction strength.
