Test of classical nucleation theory in a condensed system

Abstract
Definitive tests of nucleation theory in condensed systems do not exist since the required interfacial energies and attachment frequencies are not directly measurable. We present a quantitative test of classical nucleation theory based on numerical modeling of the cluster evolution for multistep annealing treatments in lithium disilicate glass. The classical theory of nucleation is shown to be valid when the critical size is greater than 16-20 molecular formula units.