Phase-field model of glass transition: behavior under uniform quenching.

The process of transition from the liquid to the solid state during the uniform quenching is described by a combination of two theoretical approaches: the phase field method and the gauge theory, which suggests the phase transition in the subsystem of topologically stable distortions. Using the stochastic partial differential equations we numerically simulate competition between the processes of crystallization and vitrification during the rapid cooling of the melt. A glass order parameter which is suitable for the characterization of transition to the glassy state has been proposed. At low cooling rates, the domain freezes into the crystalline structure with defects, and its glass order parameter is orders of magnitude less than that for the vitrified state obtained by rapid quenching. Proposed method improves and extends the theoretical description of glass transition, qualitatively represents the basic kinetic properties of the process and demonstrates sensitivity of resulting microstructures to the quenching rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]