Nonequilibrium phase transitions in chemical reactions

The far from equilibrium steady states of a simple nonlinear chemical system are analyzed. A standard macroscopic analysis shows that the nonlinearity introduces an instability which causes a transition analogous to a thermodynamic second-order phase transition. Fluctuations are introduced into this model through a stochastic master equation approach. The solution of this master equation in the steady state reveals that the system goes into a more ordered state above the transition point. An analogy is drawn with the nonequilibrium phase transition occurring in the laser at threshold.Supported by a New Zealand U.G.C. Postgraduate Scholarship.