Determination of nucleation rates near the critical point

Abstract

The nucleation rates derived for the condensation from a supersaturated vapor are examined both in the classical theory and in the modern coarse-grained field theory. By virtue of the scaling variable $\lambda_Z$ it is shown that the method of steepest descent is irrelevant to evaluate the nucleation rate in the proximity of the critical point in the capillary approximation. If the logarithmic corrections to the activation energy of a droplet are taken into account, then the calculated nucleation rates provide an adequate description of the liquid-gas phase transition both near and out of the critical range.