KINETICS OF A MAGNETIC FLUID-PHASE SEPARATION INDUCED BY AN EXTERNAL MAGNETIC-FIELD

We study the processes of nucleation and subsequent evolution of a sys tem of droplike aggregates suspended in a macroscopically homogeneous magnetic fluid made metastable by strengthening of an external magneti c field. The growing aggregates are highly elongated ellipsoidal shape d and are distributed over volume. Expressions for the growth rate of an aggregate, the critical nucleus volume, and the nucleation rate hav e been obtained. The aggregate distribution density is governed by a k inetic equation with neglect of fluctuations in the growth rate of sin gle aggregate. The approximate solutions for supersaturation and diver se characteristics of the distribution density have been found as func tions of time. The kinetics of evolution of a system of ellipsoidal ag gregates in the presence of a magnetic field differs essentially from the corresponding kinetics of a system of spherical droplets.