Nucleation versus spinodal decomposition in a first order quark hadron phase transition - art. no. 054910

We investigate the scenario of homogeneous nucleation for a first order qua rk-hadron phase transition in a rapidly expanding background of quark gluon plasma. Using an improved preexponential factor for homogeneous nucleation rate, we solve a set of coupled equations to study the hadronization and t he hydrodynamical evolution of the matter. It is found that significant sup ercooling is possible before hadronization begins. This study also suggests that spinodal decomposition competes with nucleation and may provide an al ternative mechanism for phase conversion particularly if the transition is strong enough and the medium is nonviscous. For weak enough transition, the phase conversion may still proceed via homogeneous nucleation.