Nonuniqueness of phase transitions near the Maxwell line

We consider the description of propagating phase boundaries in a van der Wa als fluid by means of viscocapillary profiles, which are viewed as heterocl inic orbits connecting nonhyperbolic fixed points of a five dimensional dyn amical system. A bifurcation analysis enables us to show that, for small vi scosities, some distinct propagating phase boundaries share the same metast able state on one side of the front.