The role of discrete-particle noise in the Ostwald ripening

Abstract

We investigate the role of discrete-particle noise in interface-controlled Ostwald ripening. We introduce the noise within the framework of the Becker-Doering equations, and employ both Monte Carlo simulations and direct numerical solution of these equations. We find that the noise drives the system towards a unique scaling regime describable by a limiting solution of a classical continuum theory due to Lifshitz, Slyozov and Wagner. The convergence towards the scaling solution is extremely slow, and we report a systematic deviation between the observed small correction to scaling and a theoretical prediction of this quantity.

7 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Europhys. Lett