A Monte Carlo simulation for particle aggregation containing a sol-gel phase transition

Particle aggregation containing a sol-gel phase transition governed by a general gelling kernel (K(u, v) similar to (u . v)(omega)(1/2 < omega <= 1)) has been studied by means of a new Monte Carlo method. With this stochastic method, the aggregation process can be described straightforwardly requiring relatively minor programming. The gelation time, a crucial characteristic of the sol-gel transition, can be determined in a fairly simple manner. Investigations of evolutions of other interesting properties associated with particle system in aggregation are also more easily tractable with this scheme. [GRAPHICS]