CORRELATION-FUNCTIONS IN FIRST-ORDER PHASE-TRANSITIONS

Most of the physical properties of systems underlying first-order phas e transitions can be obtained from the spatial correlation functions. In this paper, we obtain expressions that allow us to calculate all th e correlation functions from the droplet size distribution. Nucleation and growth kinetics is considered, and exact solutions are obtained f or the case of isotropic growth by using self-similarity properties. T he calculation is performed by using the particle size distribution ob tained by a recently developed model (populational Kolmogorov-Johnson- Mehl-Avrami model). Since this model is less restrictive than that use d in previously existing theories, the result is that the correlation functions can be obtained for any dependence of the kinetic parameters . The validity of the method is tested by comparison with the exact co rrelation functions, which had been obtained in the available cases by the time-cone method. Finally, the correlation functions correspondin g to the microstructure developed in partitioning transformations are obtained.