Abstract
Ken Elder: „Phase Field Crystal Modeling of Non-Equilibrium Phenomena”
Oakland University, USA
One of the most important and successful fields in physics is equilibrium statistical mechanics, which provides a well defined variational method for determining equilibrium states. Unfortunately it is extremely rare for solids to be in such states due to long transient times or external driving forces. Most naturally occurring or man made materials contain complex non-equilibrium microstructures that play a key role in determining material property and function. A technique that has proved quite successful in modeling the formation of such structures is the so-called phase field method.
This talk will focus on a phase field method that resolves atomic length scales and naturally incorporates elasticity and plasticity, both of which can be critical for determining microstructure formation and material properties. More specifically, I will present a binary phase field crystal model and show how this model can be connected with standard phase field models using multiple scales analysis. Applications to epitaxial growth, order/disorder transitions and the Kirkendall effect will also be discussed.