Nucleation of relativistic first-order phase transitions

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Abstract
We apply the general formalism of Langer to compute the nucleation rate for systems of relativistic particles with a zero or small baryon-number density and which undergo first-order phase transitions. In particular, we obtain an expression for the pre-exponential factor and it is proportional to the viscosity. The initial growth rate of a critical size bubble or droplet is limited by the ability of dissipative processes to transport latent heat away from the surface.