Restoring profanity

by Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb

The movie below shows the time evolution of a solution of the Cahn-Hilliard equation. Starting from an almost homogenous mixture of two alloys, the equation dynamics separate the mixture into its pure components (black and white). Later in time small regions containing the same alloy melt together and build larger and larger regions until the equation reaches a stationary state. This phenomenon is called phase separation and coarsening process and has its origin in material sciences.