Analytical description of "athermal" nucleation and its relevance to rapidly quenched fluids

Results of a matched asymptotic analysis of the nucleation equation are use d to obtain the "athermal'' flux due to variation of the critical size. The total critical flux is also evaluated. Results, which also include estimat ions of crystallization rates, are used to refine the nucleation-mechanism diagram for liquid silicon proposed by J. S. Im, Gupta, and Crowder [V. V. Gupta, and M. A. Crowder, Appl. Phys. Lett. 72, 662 (1998)]. The possibilit y of experimental detection of athermal effects on the background of other effects of time-dependent nucleation is discussed. (C) 1999 American Instit ute of Physics. [S0021-8979(99)03503-3].