Extension of the thermodynamics of small systems to open metastable states: an example.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 9788990.
- Also identified by PMC identifier 23585.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
By using a simplified model of small open liquid-like clusters with surface effects, in the gas phase, it is shown how the statistical thermodynamics of small systems can be extended to include metastable supersaturated gaseous states not too far from the gas-liquid equilibrium transition point. To accomplish this, one has to distinguish between mathematical divergence and physical convergence of the open-system partition function.