Maxwell-type constructions for multiple nonequilibrium steady states.
A stochastic analysis is used to obtain Maxwell-type constructions for multiple nonequilibrium steady states in homogeneous systems. The stochastic theory shows that homogeneous molecular fluctuations can nucleate the Maxwell construction only on a time scale that is the order of a Poincaré recurrence time and indicates that hysteresis should be observed. The nonrelevance of homogeneous fluctuations for systems that undergo phase separation or in which spatial structures occur is discussed.
Chemistry Department, University of California, Davis, California 95616.
J
J
Keizer