Surface tension of cavitation pockets according to data of computer simulation of nucleation in a stretched fluid

摘要

Surface tension gamma and effective radius R of critical cavitation pockets in a stretched Lennard-Jones fluid have been determined from the data on pocket formation work W (*). The W (*) value has been calculated in terms of the stationary homogeneous nucleation theory from the results of molecular dynamics simulation of the parameters of cavitation process in a range of reduced temperatures T* = k (B) T/E > = 0.35-0.8. The calculated data have been approximated by the extended Tolman equation, which, in addition to linear correction (similar to delta(a)/R), takes into account the quadratic correction (similar to l (2)/R (2)) for curvature to the surface tension of a critical pocket. It has been shown that parameter delta(a) is negative and amounts to a few tenths of an atom diameter, with the value of l being substantially dependent on temperature and reaching the diameter of a Lennard-Jones atom at the upper boundary of the considered temperature range.