title: Ostwald ripening in multiple-bubble nuclei.
abstract: The Ostwald ripening of bubbles is studied by molecular dynamics simulations involving up to 679 × 10(6) Lennard-Jones particles. Many bubbles appear after depressurizing a system that is initially maintained in the pure-liquid phase, and the coarsening of bubbles follows. The self-similarity of the bubble-size distribution function predicted by Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner theory is directly confirmed. The total number of bubbles decreases asymptotically as t(-x) with scaling exponent x. As the initial temperature increases, the exponent changes from x = 3/2 to 1, which implies that the growth of bubbles changes from interface-limited (the t(1/2) law) to diffusion-limited (the t(1/3) law) growth.
authors.affiliation: The Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwanoha 5-1-5, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8581, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Quantum Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Advanced Institute for Computational Science, RIKEN, 7-1-26, Minatojima-minami-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inaoka
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan and Advanced Institute for Computational Science, RIKEN, 7-1-26, Minatojima-minami-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuyasu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ito