Fluctuation Relations of Phase Transitions - Externally Driven Crystallization

I will discuss the crystallization process in suspensions of hard particles far from equilibrium. The suspensions of hard particles, iniitially prepared in an equilibrium fluid state, are subjected to a time dependent over-compression protocol. During this process formation of crystallites and dynamic arrest take place. \\
This solidification process will be investigated in the framework of non-equilibrium fluctuation relations. For a given system driven far from equilibrium these relations state symmetries of the distribution of dissipated heat or mechanical work and ultimately relate to equilibrium free energy differences.
The distribution of mechanical work, also experimentally accessible, contains important information about the evolution of crystallites and disorder in the system. Therefore, studying the distribution of mechanical work will offer new insights to the dynamical properties of the crystallization process and relate structural changes to dissipated energy far from equilibrium. \\
This presentation is based on ongoing research in the Theoretical Softmatter group at the University of Luxembourg.