Studies of Partially Solidified Systems

部分熔融系统，其中液体和固体之间的相变化可以发生，出现在各种各样的环境中，例如岩浆室和地核的凝固以及金属合金的铸造。这些多相系统通常在物理上是复杂的，并且表现出在单相系统中看不到的异常行为。由于缺乏一套由第一性原理推导出来的控制方程，对这类系统的研究受到了阻碍。这项研究将是一个系统的尝试来推导这样的方程，并阐明它们的一些不寻常的性质。实验还将研究氯化铵水溶液从下面冷却时形成的糊状带的特征，以确定该理论是否能成功地预测自发形成的烟囱或通道的发生和特征。

Partially molten systems, in which a change of phase between liquid and solid can occur, arise in a wide variety of settings, such as in the solidification of magma chambers and the Earth's core and in the casting of metallic alloys. These multi-phase systems are often physically complex and exhibit anomalous behavior not seen in single phase systems. The study of such systems has bee hampered by the lack of a set of governing equations derived from first principles. This research will be a systematic attempt to derive such equations and to elucidate some of their unusual properties. Also the characteristics of the mushy zone which forms as an aqueous solution of ammonium chloride is cooled from below will be studied experimentally to determine whether the theory can successfully predict the occurrence and characteristics of the chimneys or channels which from spontaneously.