Neutron scattering near the order-disorder transition in Cu3Au: Evidence for a lower spinodal temperature

The binary alloy Cu 3 Au undergoes a first-order phase transition at 667 ± 3 K Within the context of the Landau theory of phase transitions, there exist, in addition to the order–disorder temperature, T c , upper and lower spinodal temperatures, T su and T s 1 . These mark the first temperatures, upon approaching the phase transition from above and below, respectively, at which metastable droplets of the second phase can fluctuate out of the …