Hydrodynamics of binary fluid phase segregation

Abstract

Starting with the Vlasov-Boltzmann equation for a binary fluid mixture, we derive an equation for the velocity field $\bm{u}$ when the system is segregated into two phases (at low temperatures) with a sharp interface between them. $\bm{u}$ satisfies the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations together with a jump boundary condition for the pressure across the interface which, in turn, moves with a velocity given by the normal component of $\bm{u} $. Numerical simulations of the Vlasov-Boltzmann equations for shear flows parallel and perpendicular to the interface in a phase segregated mixture support this analysis. We expect similar behavior in real fluid mixtures.