Generic aspects of convexification with applications to thermodynamic equilibrium (Q1194063)

This work presents a mathematical analysis of the process of convexification of a smooth function based on singularity theory. The theory developed is applied to the problem of thermodynamic phase equilibrium. The paper contains the following sections: 1. Introduction; 2. Stable phase splittings and phase number functions: some general properties; 3. A few facts about transversality; 4. Genericity and stable phase splittings; 5. Genericity and phase bifurcation; 6. Application to thermodynamic equilibrium of a mixture of \(n\) fluids; 7. Parameter dependence and the phase rule. References.