Universality of Persistence Exponents in Two-Dimensional Ostwald Ripening

by Prof. Joel Stavans (Weizmann Institute of Science)

Thursday 7 Jan 2010, 16:00 → 17:00 Asia/Kolkata

A-304 (Colaba Campus)

We measured persistence exponents of Ostwald ripening in two dimensions, as a function of the area fraction occupied by coarsening domains. The values of the persistence exponents in two systems, succinonitrile and brine, quenched to their liquid-solid coexistence region, compare well with one another, providing compelling evidence for the universality of the one-parameter family of exponents. For small volume fraction, exponents are proportional to the volume fraction with a constant of proportionality 0:39, as predicted by a model that assumes no correlations between evolving domains. These constitute the first measurements of persistence exponents in the case of phase transitions with a conserved order parameter.