Non-equilibrium Anisotropic Phases, Nucleation and Critical Behavior in a Driven Lennard-Jones Fluid

TL;DR

This paper investigates the non-equilibrium anisotropic phases, nucleation, and critical behavior in a driven two-dimensional Lennard-Jones fluid, revealing insights into phase transitions and nucleation processes under non-equilibrium conditions.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of non-equilibrium phases, nucleation mechanisms, and critical phenomena in a driven Lennard-Jones fluid, highlighting the role of anisotropy and symmetries.

Findings

Nucleation proceeds via Smoluchowski coagulation and Ostwald ripening.

Anisotropic late-time spinodal decomposition observed.

Critical behavior analysis raises questions on symmetry roles in non-equilibrium fluids.

Abstract

We describe short-time kinetic and steady-state properties of the non--equilibrium phases, namely, solid, liquid and gas anisotropic phases in a driven Lennard-Jones fluid. This is a computationally-convenient two-dimensional model which exhibits a net current and striped structures at low temperature, thus resembling many situations in nature. We here focus on both critical behavior and details of the nucleation process. In spite of the anisotropy of the late--time spinodal decomposition process, earlier nucleation seems to proceed by Smoluchowski coagulation and Ostwald ripening, which are known to account for nucleation in equilibrium, isotropic lattice systems and actual fluids. On the other hand, a detailed analysis of the system critical behavior rises some intriguing questions on the role of symmetries; this concerns the computer and field-theoretical modeling of non-equilibrium fluids.