Initial stages in phase separation of binary complex plasmas: Numerical experiments

Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics - 85748 Garching, Germany, EU

^a jiang@mpe.mpg.de

Received: 5 January 2011
Accepted: 8 February 2011

Abstract

Numerical experiments are performed to investigate the initial stages in phase separation induced by interaction non-additivity Δ in binary complex plasmas. A characteristic length scale obtained from time-dependent pair correlation functions is used to monitor the domain growth. It is found that the domain growth follows a power law with an exponent α of around 1/3, which is in a good agreement with the Lifshitz-Slyozov growth law for the initial diffusive regime of phase separation. It is also found that α is almost independent of Δ as long as the system is within the spinodal region. The coupling strength is also found to have almost no influence on α, unless the coupling is so large that the background large-particle phase starts crystallizing.