General features of the nucleation of elastic defects in crystals during a phase transition were described within the framework of a Landau-type approach. In the case of static defects, the phase-diagram topology of a nucleus was shown to be independent of the nature and geometry of the defects, and could contain additional phases which were unstable in the bulk. In the case of moving defects, the nuclei had a specific configuration and arose only below a critical defect speed.

Phase Nucleation of Elastic Defects in Crystals Undergoing a Phase Transition A.A.Boulbitch, P.Tolédano: Physical Review Letters, 1998, 81[4], 838-41