In bulk metallic glass forming alloys cooled close to the critical cooling rate for glass formation, the nucleation density is observed to be spatially inhomogeneous; in an amorphous matrix there are spherical clusters with a high density of nanocrystals. This is attributed to the combined effect of recalescence due to the heat of crystallization and the fact that in deeply undercooled liquids the nucleation rate increases with increasing temperature.

A linear stability analysis of the non-linear differential equations describing nucleation and growth reveals that in the early stages of crystallization, stability is determined by the temperature dependence of the nucleation rate. When the nucleation rate increases with increasing temperature, fluctuations are amplified, resulting in “hot spots” where both the nucleation rate and the growth rate are higher.