SUPERSYMMETRY IN THE CAHN-HILLIARD-COOK THEORY

We demonstrate that the early stage of spinodal decomposition and continuous ordering is supersymmetric in systems with long-range interactions. Indeed, the Cahn-Hilliard-Cook linear theory can be described equivalently as an evolution of the order parameter (bosons) or objects that obey an exclusion principle (fermions). Coupled with a cluster representation of the Cahn-Hilliard-Cook theory, supersymmetry suggests a new physical picture of the early stage of spinodal decomposition and continuous ordering that provides a greater understanding of early-stage morphology, and could provide a basis for an improved description of the nonlinear regime.