From monotonic to oscillatory decay of correlations: Analytical approximation for the two-dimensional,one-component plasma

An approximate evaluation of the pair distribution and the structure factor is performed analytically for the two-dimensional, one-component plasma at any value of the coupling constant. The approximate distribution remains positive and satisfies three sum rules, including the compressibility one. When 0 or 2, exact results are found. At=2 the transition from monotonie (<2) to oscillatory (>2) decay of correlations takes place. Comparison with the Monte Carlo simulations shows good agreement for 0<<4.