Molecular dynamics simulation of the vapour liquid transition of argon and the reaction coordinate of condensation

作者：Hirata Yoshinori^*

来源：Molecular Physics, 2010, 108(24): 3383-3391.

DOI：10.1080/00268976.2010.511634

• homogeneous condensation
• MD simulation
• reaction coordinate

We have investigated the n-dependences of the rate constants of absorption and emission of monomers that are attached to and detached from the cluster of n monomers, and have determined n*, the number of monomers that form the critical nucleus of the homogeneous condensation of the Lennard-Jones Ar vapour. The dynamics was clearly separated into two regions at the critical nucleus; n* did not, however, give the unique dividing point. The observed strong dependences of both the nucleus size and the barrier height of the nucleation on the induction time of the condensation suggest that a slowly changing variable instead of the cluster size is necessary as the reaction coordinate of the nucleation. Although the slow variable is not well characterised at the present stage of the investigation, it seems to be related to the local density of the gas atoms around the liquid-like clusters. Both the slow evolution of the radial distribution function of the gas atoms around the liquid-like atoms, and the correlation between n* and the onset of the condensation indicate that Gibbs energy curves represented in n-space change significantly with the activation of the slow variable.

• 出版日期2010