Fluctuations and Transitions at Chemical Instabilities: The Analogy to Phase Transitions.
Abstract
The properties of a reacting system near an instability are investigated and the analogy between transitions in unstable systems and equilibrium phase transitions is developed in detail. The set of macroscopic steady state rate equations plays the role of an equation of state. The bifurcation points of this set are analogous to transition and critical points of equilibrium phase transitions. Hard transitions of unstable systems correspond to first order and soft transitions to second and higher order phase transitions. Critical exponents are defined for those properties of the unstable systems which are singular at the transition points, and relations between these critical exponents are investigated. Critical fluctuations are studied with stochastic analogs of the macroscopic rate equations. Both master and Langevin equations are considered. (Modified author abstract)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1974
- Accession Number
- AD0778623
Entities
People
- Abraham Nitzan
- John Deutch
- John Ross
- Peter Ortoleva
Organizations
- Purdue University