VANDERWAALS LIMIT AND PHASE-SEPARATION IN A PARTICLE MODEL WITH KAWASAKI DYNAMICS

A one-dimensional interacting particle system with a stochastic dynamics is studied in the local mean field limit, extending the results of Lebowitz, Orlandi, and Presutti to processes which satisfy detailed balance (with respect to Gibbs measures). The behavior of the system below the critical temperature and inside the unstable (spinodal) region is then investigated by means of computer simulations. The experiments clearly indicate the presence of phase separation and confirm the validity of some conjectures on the dynamics of the spinodal decomposition.