Translation–Rotation Paradox in the Theory of Nucleation

A detailed examination of the translation–rotation paradox in the theory of nucleation is presented. An earlier conclusion, due to Reiss and Katz, that the paradox is associated with the neglect of the fluctuation of the center of mass of a liquid-drop nucleus is reaffirmed. Transformations of coordinates are performed quantitatively in order to demonstrate this fact. Furthermore, the fluctuation of the center of mass is computed for a lattice model. A new factor not appearing in the classical theory of nucleation appears, but it is much smaller than the factor introduced by Lothe and Pound and only becomes important for large nuclei.