Metastability is a quintessential feature of first order quantum phase transitions, which is lost either by dynamical instability or by nucleating bubbles of a true vacuum through quantum tunneling. By considering a drive across the first order quantum phase transition in the quantum Ising chain in the presence of both transverse and longitudinal fields, we reveal multiple regions in the parameter space where the initial metastable state loses its metastability in successive stages. The mechanism responsible is found to be semi-degenerate resonant tunnelings to states with specific bubble sizes. We show that such dynamics of quantized bubble nucleations can be understood in terms of Landau-Zener transitions, which provide quantitative predictions of nucleation probabilities for different bubble sizes.
Bubble-nucleation processes of a Lennard-Jones liquid are studied by molecular dynamics simulations. Waiting time, which is the lifetime of a superheated liquid, is determined for several system sizes, and the apparent finite-size effect of the nucleation rate is observed. From the cumulative distribution function of the nucleation events, the bubble-nucleation process is found to be not a simple Poisson process but a Poisson process with an additional relaxation time. The parameters of the exponential distribution associated with the process are determined by taking the relaxation time into a…
Nishioka and Kusaka [J. Chem. Phys. 96 (1992) 5370 (1992)] showed that the commonly used formula, W = n(μ^α-μ^β) + γA, for work of formation of critical nucleus is derived by integrating the isothermal Gibbs-Duhem relation for the incompressible nucleating phase, such as an incompressible liquid phase nucleation in a vapor phase. In their paper as wel as in a subsequent paper [Li, Nishioka, and Holcomb, J. Cryst. Growth 171 (1997) 259] it was stated that the commonly used formula was valid for an incompressible nucleating phase and no longer held for such as a bubble nucleation. In this paper,…
We present results from direct, large-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of homogeneous bubble (liquid-to-vapor) nucleation. The simulations contain half a billion Lennard-Jones (LJ) atoms and cover up to 56 million time-steps. The unprecedented size of the simulated volumes allows us to resolve the nucleation and growth of many bubbles per run in simple direct micro-canonical (NVE) simulations while the ambient pressure and temperature remain almost perfectly constant. We find bubble nucleation rates which are lower than in most of the previous, smaller simulations. It is widely believ…
Bubble nucleation in weakly supersaturated solutions of carbon dioxide - such as champagne, sparkling wines and carbonated beers - is well understood. Bubbles grow and detach from nucleation sites: gas pockets trapped within hollow cellulose fibres. This mechanism appears not to be active in stout beers that are supersaturated solutions of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. In their canned forms these beers require additional technology (widgets) to release the bubbles which will form the head of the beer. We extend the mathematical model of bubble nucleation in carbonated liquids to the case of two…
The onset of intermediate states (denaturation bubbles) and their role during the melting transition of DNA are studied using the Peyrard-Bishop-Daxuois model by Monte Carlo simulations with no adjustable parameters. Comparison is made with previously published experimental results finding excellent agreement. Melting curves, critical DNA segment length for stability of bubbles and the possibility of a two states transition are studied.
In this paper we investigate bubble nucleation in a disordered Landau-Ginzburg model. First we adopt the standard procedure to average over the disordered free energy. This quantity is represented as a series of the replica partition functions of the system. Using the saddle-point equations in each replica partition function, we discuss the presence of a spontaneous symmetry breaking mechanism. The leading term of the series is given by a large-N Euclidean replica field theory. Next, we consider finite temperature effects. Below some critical temperature, there are N real instantons-like solut…
The nucleation of vapor bubbles within a superheated fluid is studied using density functional theory. The nudged elastic band technique is used to find the minimum energy pathway from the metastable uniform liquid to the stable uniform gas thus emphasizing the analogy between the the nucleation problem and that of chemical reactions. The result is both an accurate determination of the critical nucleus and an unbiased description of the density profile at various points along the path between the free energy extrema. This calculation is compared to two other methods: the use of parametrized pr…
We investigate vapor bubble nucleation in metastable TIP4P/2005 water at negative pressure via the Mean First Passage Time (MFPT) method using the volume of the largest bubble as a local order parameter. We identify the bubbles in the system by means of a Voronoi-based analysis of the Molecular Dynamics trajectories. By comparing the features of the tessellation of liquid water at ambient conditions to those of the same system with an empty cavity we are able to discriminate vapor (or interfacial) molecules from the bulk ones. This information is used to follow the time evolution of the larges…
The phenomenon of quantum nucleation is studied in a nanometer-scale antiferromagnet with biaxial symmetry in the presence of a magnetic field at an arbitrary angle. Within the instanton approach, we calculate the dependence of the rate of quantum nucleation and the crossover temperature on the orientation and strength of the field for bulk solids and two-dimensional films of antiferromagnets, respectively. Our results show that the rate of quantum nucleation and the crossover temperature from thermal-to-quantum transitions depend on the orientation and strength of the field distinctly, which …
We analyze the properties of naturally formed nano-bubbles in Lennard-Jones molecular dynamics simulations of liquid-to-vapor nucleation in the boiling and the cavitation regimes. The large computational volumes provide a realistic environment at unchanging average temperature and liquid pressure, which allows us to accurately measure properties of bubbles from their inception as stable, critically sized bubbles, to their continued growth into the constant speed regime. Bubble gas densities are up to 50$%$ lower than the equilibrium vapor densities at the liquid temperature, yet quite close to…
This paper presents a theoretical description of diffusion growth of a gas bubble after its nucleation in supersaturated liquid solution. We study systems where gas molecules completely dissociate in the solvent into two parts, thus making Sievert's solubility law valid. We show that the difference between Henry's and Sievert's laws for chemical equilibrium conditions causes the difference in bubble growth dynamics. Assuming that diffusion flux is steady we obtain a differential equation on bubble radius. Bubble dynamics equation is solved analytically for the case of homogeneous nucleation of…
Bubble chambers and droplet detectors used in dosimetry and dark matter particle search experiments use a superheated metastable liquid in which nuclear recoils trigger bubble nucleation. This process is described by the classical heat spike model of F. Seitz [Phys. Fluids (1958-1988) 1, 2 (1958)], which uses classical nucleation theory to estimate the amount and the localization of the deposited energy required for bubble formation. Here we report on direct molecular dynamics simulations of heat-spike-induced bubble formation. They allow us to test the nanoscale process described in the class…
Using molecular simulation, we analyze the capillary condensation and evaporation processes for Argon confined in a cylindrical nanopore. For this purpose, we define the entropy of the adsorbed fluid as a reaction coordinate and determine the free energy associated with both processes along entropic pathways. For capillary condensation, we identify a complex free energy profile resulting from the multi-stage nature of this phenomenon. We find capillary condensation to proceed through the nucleation of a liquid bridge across the nanopore, followed by its expansion throughout the pore to give ri…
Homogeneous nucleation of a vapor bubble from a bulk metastable phase is studied here for the first time using the multibody dissipative particle dynamics model. The van der Waals equation of state is used to define a conservative force that describes the model fluid used in this study. Additional computational tools were developed to help visualize the vapor bubble formed in the system. Continuum thermodynamic ideas are used to help identify the bubble interface and separate particles that constitute the vapor bubble and bulk liquid regions respectively. Using this idea, the density variation…
First order phase transitions in general proceed via nucleation of bubbles. A theoretical basis for the calculation of the nucleation rate is given by the homogeneous nucleation theory of Langer and its field theoretical version of Callan and Coleman. We have calculated the nucleation rate beyond the thin wall approximation by expanding the bubble solution and the fluctuation determinant in powers of the asymmetry parameter. The result is expressed in terms of physical model parameters.
Probing False Vacuum Decay and Bubble Nucleation in a Rydberg Atom Array
Tsinghua University（清华大学）；Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences（北京量子信息科学研究院）；Cornell University（康奈尔大学）；Frontier Science Center for Quantum Information（量子信息前沿科学中心）；Hefei National Laboratory（合肥国家实验室）
In many systems in condensed matter physics and quantum field theory, first order phase transitions are initiated by the nucleation of bubbles of the stable phase. In homogeneous nucleation theory the nucleation rate $Γ$ can be written in the form of the Arrhenius law: $Γ=\mathcal{A} e^{-\mathcal{H}_{c}}$. Here $\mathcal{H}_{c}$ is the energy of the critical bubble, and the prefactor $\mathcal{A}$ can be expressed in terms of the determinant of the operator of fluctuations near the critical bubble state. In general it is not possible to find explicit expressions for $\mathcal{A}$ and $\mathcal…
We present a consistent picture of tunnelling in field theory. Our results apply both to high-temperature field theories in four dimensions and to zero-temperature three-dimensional ones. Our approach is based on the notion of a coarse-grained potential U_k that incorporates the effect of fluctuations with characteristic momenta above a given scale k. U_k is non-convex and becomes equal to the convex effective potential for k --> 0. We demonstrate that a consistent calculation of the nucleation rate must be performed at non-zero values of k, larger than the typical scale of the saddle-point co…
Liquid helium under negative pressure represents a unique possibility for studying the macroscopic quantum nucleation phenomena in condensed media. We analyze the quantum cavitation rate of single electron bubbles at low temperatures down to absolute zero. The energy dissipation and sound emission processes result in the different temperature behavior of quantum cavitation rate in normal fluid $^3$He and superfluid $^4$He below the thermal-quantum crossover temperature. The position of rapid nucleation line in the temperature-pressure phase diagram is discussed as well.
