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   COLLOQUIUM OF THE LABORATORY FOR COMPUTER DESIGN OF MATERIALS
                   School of Computational Sciences
                           (CSI 898-Sec 001)
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            Pattern Formation in Cahn-Hilliard-Type Models

                               Thomas Wanner
      Department of Mathematical Sciences, George Mason University
                          Fairfax, VA 22030

Phase separation processes in compound materials can produce intriguing
and complicated patterns. Yet, explaining the formation and the  
geometry of these patterns mathematically can be quite challenging.  In 
this talk, I will concentrate on Cahn-Hilliard-type models for spinodal  
decomposition and nucleation in binary and multi-component alloys. I will 
briefly survey recent mathematical results on spinodal decomposition, which 
provide a basic explanation of the pattern formation process.  Methods from
computational topology are then used to further characterize the geometry
of the observed patterns.  These methods allow for a quantification of  
the morphology differences between deterministic and stochastic models.   
Time permitting, I will present numerical results for nucleation in
multi-component alloys.
                
                Monday , October 6, 2003
                         4:30 pm
                Room 206, Science & Tech. I

Refreshments will be served at 4:15 PM.
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Find the schedule at http://www.scs.gmu.edu/lcdm/seminar/schedule.html