What do emulsification failure and Bose-Einstein condensation have in common?

R. P. Sear; J. A. Cuesta

doi:10.1209/epl/i2001-00436-6

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arXiv · cond-mat/0012256

What do emulsification failure and Bose-Einstein condensation have in common?

R. P. Sear·J. A. Cuesta

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Abstract

Ideal bosons and classical ring polymers formed via self-assembly, are known to have the same partition function, and so analogous phase transitions. In ring polymers, the analogue of Bose-Einstein condensation occurs when a ring polymer of macroscopic size appears. We show that a transition of the same general form occurs within a whole class of systems with self-assembly, and illustrate it with the emulsification failure of a microemulsion phase of water, oil and surfactant. As with Bose-Einstein condensation, the transition occurs even in the absence of interactions.

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R. P. Sear, J. A. Cuesta. 2000-12-14. What do emulsification failure and Bose-Einstein condensation have in common?. https://doi.org/10.1209/epl%2Fi2001-00436-6

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