Repeated nucleation behaviors of pure bismuth under a high magnetic field

Abstract The influence of a high magnetic field (HMF) on the repeated nucleation behaviors of pure bismuth has been investigated by differential thermal analysis (DTA). The HMF reduces the maximum and mean values of undercooling. Moreover, the HMF helps to stabilize the undercooling because the HMF suppresses the thermal convection. Furthermore, the nucleation rates are calculated by the statistical analysis of random nucleation events. The decrease in undercooling under the HMF is mainly attributed to the reduction of the contact angle, calculated by fitting the nucleation rates on the basis of the classical heterogeneous nucleation theory for spherical cap nuclei.