Classical Nucleation Theory of the One-Component Plasma

TL;DR

This paper develops a classical nucleation theory model for the crystallization rate of a one-component plasma, aligning with recent simulations and highlighting the need for further molecular dynamics studies.

Contribution

It derives a new analytical expression for the nucleation rate of an OCP based on free energy calculations, improving upon previous estimates.

Findings

Derived nucleation rate matches recent molecular dynamics results

Nucleation rate is significantly higher than previous analytical estimates

Highlights the importance of further simulations to understand plasma crystallization

Abstract

We investigate the crystallization rate of a one-component plasma (OCP) in the context of classical nucleation theory. From our derivation of the free energy of an arbitrary distribution of solid clusters embedded in a liquid phase, we derive the steady-state nucleation rate of an OCP as a function of the Coulomb coupling parameter. Our result for the rate is in accord with recent molecular dynamics simulations, but it is greater than that of previous analytical estimates by many orders of magnitude. Further molecular dynamics simulations of the nucleation rate of a supercooled liquid OCP for several values of the coupling parameter would clarify the physics of this process.