  Both ordered and disordered microphases ubiquitously form in suspensions of
particles that interact through competing short-range attraction and long-range
repulsion (SALR). While ordered microphases are more appealing materials
targets, understanding the rich structural and dynamical properties of their
disordered counterparts is essential to controlling their mesoscale assembly.
Here, we study the disordered regime of a one-dimensional (1D) SALR model,
whose simplicity enables detailed analysis by transfer matrices and Monte Carlo
simulations. We first characterize the signature of the clustering process on
macroscopic observables, and then assess the equilibration dynamics of various
simulation algorithms. We notably find that cluster moves markedly accelerate
the mixing time, but that event chains are of limited help in the clustering
regime. These insights will guide further study of three-dimensional microphase
formers.
