Conserved order-parameter dynamics (Model B dynamics)

Conserved relaxational order-parameter dynamics has ${\partial }_t\varphi =M{\nabla }^2(\delta F/\delta \varphi )$ plus conserved thermal noise. Its relaxation rate vanishes as $q^2$ at small wavenumber.

The positive order-parameter mobility $M$ relates the diffusive transport flux to the chemical potential gradient: $\mathbf{J}=-M\nabla \mu$. Combining this law with local conservation gives the Cahn--Hilliard equation when $\mu$ is the functional derivative of a composition free energy.

For the flux $W_{ij}=-M{\partial }_i{\mu }_j+N_{ij}$ of a vector order parameter, microscopic reversibility requires independent Gaussian white noise components with covarianceThe current changes sign under time reversal. The resulting path-probability ratio contributes $-(k_{B}T{)}^{-1}\int W_{ij}{\partial }_i{\mu }_j$ to its logarithm; integration by parts converts this to the free-energy loss from the conserved dynamics.

A hydrodynamic mode is a long-wavelength collective mode whose decay rate tends to zero because of a conservation law. Coupling to fast nonconserved variables renormalizes its diffusivity and eigenvector.