Experimental evidence for crossover to mean-field tricritical behavior in a concentrated salt solution

We have discovered a mean-field multicritical point on the critical locus in an aqueous solution of 3-methylpyridine and sodium bromide. Light-scattering measurements indicate Ising-like asymptotic critical behavior at the lower salt concentrations. However, the temperature range of Ising critical b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2000-09, Vol.85 (11), p.2336-2339
Main Authors: Anisimov, MA, Jacob, J, Kumar, A, Agayan, VA, Sengers, JV
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:We have discovered a mean-field multicritical point on the critical locus in an aqueous solution of 3-methylpyridine and sodium bromide. Light-scattering measurements indicate Ising-like asymptotic critical behavior at the lower salt concentrations. However, the temperature range of Ising critical behavior shrinks with increasing salt concentration and the critical behavior becomes mean-field-like at a concentration of about 17% mass fraction of NaBr. Emergence of a new characteristic length scale diverging at this point and a simultaneous pronounced increase in the background scattering suggests mean-field tricritical behavior associated with the formation of a microheterogeneous phase due to clustering of ions and molecules.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.85.2336