Universality in Fluid Domain Coarsening: The case of vapor-liquid transition

TL;DR

This study investigates the universal aspects of domain growth during vapor-liquid phase separation in a Lennard-Jones fluid, revealing a consistent growth pattern that challenges previous assumptions about universality classes.

Contribution

It demonstrates the existence of a universal growth behavior in vapor-liquid transitions, contrasting with earlier reports and suggesting broader applicability of phase separation dynamics.

Findings

Interconnected domain morphology near critical quench

Initial slow diffusive growth followed by linear viscous hydrodynamic growth

Contradicts earlier reports of a 1/2 growth exponent at late times

Abstract

Domain growth during the kinetics of phase separation is studied following vapor-liquid transition in a single component Lennard-Jones fluid. Results are analyzed after appropriately mapping the continuum snapshots obtained from extensive molecular dynamics simulations to a simple cubic lattice. For near critical quench interconnected domain morphology is observed. A brief period of slow diffusive growth is followed by a linear viscous hydrodynamic growth that lasts for an extended period of time. This result is in contradiction with earlier inclusive reports of late time growth exponent 1/2 that questions the uniqueness of the non-equilibrium universality for liquid-liquid and vapor-liquid transitions.