Beyond the Pair-Potential Model of Fluids at the Liquid-Vapor Critical Point

Raymond E. Goldstein; Alberto Parola; N. W. Ashcroft; M. W. Pestak; M. H. W. Chan; J. R. de Bruyn; D. A. Balzarini

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.58.41

Beyond the Pair-Potential Model of Fluids at the Liquid-Vapor Critical Point

Raymond E. Goldstein, Alberto Parola, N. W. Ashcroft, M. W. Pestak, M. H. W. Chan, J. R. de Bruyn, and D. A. Balzarini

Phys. Rev. Lett. 58, 41 – Published 5 January 1987

Abstract

Evidence is presented that many-body interactions in fluids have important consequences at the liquid-vapor critical point. In particular, three-body interactions in lattice-gas models are shown to lead to revised scaling variables and to a singularity in the coexistence-curve diameter with an amplitude proportional to the molecular polarizability. This is confirmed in experiments reported here. A companion van der Waals theory explains several other observed correlations between nonuniversal critical amplitudes.

Received 10 October 1986

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.58.41

Authors & Affiliations

Raymond E. Goldstein, Alberto Parola^*, and N. W. Ashcroft

Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853

M. W. Pestak^† and M. H. W. Chan

Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802

J. R. de Bruyn and D. A. Balzarini

Department of Physics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1W5

^*Also at Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Parma, I-43100 Parma, Italy.
^†Present address: The Standard Oil Company, Research Center, 4440 Warrensville Center Road, Cleveland, OH 44128.