Hydrodynamical description of first-order phase transitions: Analytical treatment and numerical modeling

Solutions of hydrodynamical equations are presented for an equation of state allowing for a first-order phase transition. The numerical analysis is supplemented by analytical treatment provided the system is close to the critical point. The processes of growth and dissolution of seeds of various sizes and shapes in meta-stable phases (like super-cooled vapor and super-heated liquid) are studied, as well as the dynamics of unstable modes in the spinodal region. We show that initially nonspherical seeds acquire spherical shape with passage of time. Applications to the description of the first-order phase transitions in nuclear systems, such as the nuclear gas-liquid transition occurring in low energy heavy-ion collisions and the hadron-quark transition in the high energy heavy-ion collisions are discussed. In both cases we point out the important role played by effects of viscosity and surface tension. It is shown that fluctuations dissolve and grow as if the fluid were effectively very viscous. Even in the spinodal region seeds may grow slowly due to viscosity and critical slowing down. This prevents the enhancement of fluctuations in the near-critical region, which is frequently considered as a signal of the critical point in heavy-ion collisions.