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The droplet evaporation/condensation transition in a finite volume

P. Virnau·L. G. MacDowell·M. Mueller·K. Binder
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Abstract

A fluid in the NVT ensemble at T less than the critical temperature T_c and rho = N/V somewhat in excess of rho_coex (density of the saturated gas in the gas-liquid transition) is considered. For V->infinity, a macroscopic liquid droplet coexists with surrounding saturated gas according to the lever rule. For finite V, droplets can only exist if they exceed a minimum size. A (rounded) first order transition of the system occurs when the droplet evaporates into the supersaturated gas.Simulation evidence for this transition is given for a Lennard-Jones model and interpreted by a phenomenological theory. At the transition, the chemical potential difference mu_t-mu_coex scales like L^(-d/(d+1)) for a cubic volume V=L^d in d dimensions, as L->infinity.

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P. Virnau, L. G. MacDowell, M. Mueller, K. Binder. 2003-03-31. The droplet evaporation/condensation transition in a finite volume. https://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0303642

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