Metastable Fractal Aggregates as a Result of Competition Between Diffusion-Limited Aggregation and Dissociation

TL;DR

This paper investigates how competing processes of aggregation and dissociation in a cellular automaton model lead to a phase transition between compact and fractal aggregates, influenced by interaction energy, neighborhood type, and temperature.

Contribution

It introduces a model that captures the transition between different aggregate structures driven by physical parameters, highlighting the conditions for fractal versus compact formations.

Findings

Identifies a continuous phase transition between aggregate types.

Shows the transition depends on pair-interaction energy, neighborhood, and temperature.

Discusses implications for real physical systems.

Abstract

The cellular automaton model is used to simulate diffusion and aggregation with dissociation of point particles in 2D. A continuous phase transition is found that separates creation of compact aggregates and fractal ones. The transition is the function of pair-interaction energy ($E_b$), type of neighborhood and temperature $T$. Manifestations of the transition in real physical systems are discussed.