Simulations of Spinodal Nucleation in Systems with Elastic Interactions

TL;DR

This paper investigates how long-range elastic interactions influence nucleation in metastable systems, revealing differences from classical models through simulations and experimental data, with implications for solid-solid phase transitions.

Contribution

It introduces Langevin simulation results showing unique nucleation droplets in systems with elastic interactions, differing from stable phases and classical expectations.

Findings

Nucleation droplets differ structurally from the stable martensite phase.

Simulation results align with experimental phonon dispersion data.

Implications for nucleation mechanisms in solid-solid transitions.

Abstract

Systems with long-range interactions quenched into a metastable state near the pseudospinodal exhibit nucleation that is qualitatively different than the classical nucleation observed near the coexistence curve. We have observed nucleation droplets in our Langevin simulations of a two-dimensional model of martensitic transformations and have determined that the structure of the nucleating droplet differs from the stable martensite structure. Our results, together with experimental measurements of the phonon dispersion curve, allow us to predict the nature of the droplet. These results have implications for nucleation in many solid-solid transitions and the structure of the final state.