Scale invariance in coarsening of binary and ternary fluids

TL;DR

This study investigates the coarsening dynamics of binary and ternary fluids using lattice gas automata, revealing scale invariance in certain regimes and breakdown in others, with implications for understanding phase separation.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the scale invariance properties of coarsening in binary and ternary fluids, especially highlighting differences between symmetric and asymmetric mixtures.

Findings

Binary mixtures show multiple length scales during coarsening.

Symmetric ternary mixtures exhibit a single length scale with exponent 1/2.

Asymmetric ternary mixtures break scale invariance.

Abstract

Phase separation in binary and ternary fluids is studied using a two dimensional Lattice Gas Automata. The lengths, given by the the first zero crossing point of the correlation function and the total interface length is shown to exhibit power law dependence on time. In binary mixtures, our data clearly indicate the existence of a regime having more than one length scale where the coarsening process proceeds through the rupture and reassociation of domains. In ternary fluids; in the case of symmetric mixtures there exists a regime with a single length scale having dynamic exponent 1/2, while in asymmetric mixtures our data establish the break down of scale invariance.