Abstract
We investigate a phase-field model for homogeneous nucleation and critical nucleus morphology in solids. We analyze the mathematical properties of a free energy functional that includes the long-range, anisotropic elastic interactions. We describe the numerical algorithms used to search for the saddle points of such a free energy functional based on a minimax technique and the Fourier spectral implementation. It is demonstrated that the phase-field model is mathematically well defined and is able to efficiently predict the critical nucleus morphology in elastically anisotropic solids without making a priori assumptions.
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Zhang, L., Chen, LQ. & Du, Q. Mathematical and Numerical Aspects of a Phase-field Approach to Critical Nuclei Morphology in Solids. J Sci Comput 37, 89–102 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10915-008-9207-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10915-008-9207-7