Fluctuation effects in metastable states near first-order phase transitions

Abstract

Fluctuation effects at first-order phase transitions driven by changes of other-than-temperature factors like pressure, concentration or external fields are investigated by perturbation theory. The results for the fluctuation contributions to the order parameter, the internal energy and the free energy at pre-transitional states near spinodal points of first-order phase transitions are presented to the first-nonvanishing order of the expansion parameters of the theory.