Dynamics of argon clusters from molecular dynamics simulations

The understanding of nucleation processes is important for many natural phenomena and industrial processes. Real experiments are limited when it comes to investigation of the early stages of nucleation, because current methods cannot detect the very small clusters involved there. Here molecular dynamics simulations provide a useful tool for examining this part of the process. Small clusters and subsequently larger droplets can be seen developing from a uniform gas. The condensation and evaporation rates of the small clusters, which play an important role in many nucleation theories, can also be gained from molecular dynamics simulations.