Phase transition in continuum Potts models

We establish phase transitions for a class of continuum multi-type particle systems with finite range repulsive pair interaction between particles of different type. This proves an old conjecture of Lebowitz and Lieb. A phase transition still occurs when we allow a background pair interaction (between all particles) which is superstable and has sufficiently short range of repulsion, Our approach involves a random-cluster representation analogous to the Fortuin-Kasteleyn representation of the Ports model. In the course of our argument, we establish the existence of a percolation transition for Gibbsian particle systems with random edges between the particles, and also give an alternative proof for the existence of Gibbs measures with superstable interaction.