Phase-field model

Summary

A phase-field model describes a material with several phases by a smooth order parameter that varies continuously across thin interfaces. The evolution of the order parameter decreases a free energy that combines a bulk energy with several minima and a gradient energy. The interfaces are not tracked explicitly; they are the thin regions where the order parameter changes quickly. The Allen–Cahn equation and the Cahn–Hilliard equation are the basic phase-field equations.