The Critical Point

The relationship between liquids and gases engaged the attention of a number of distinguished scientists in the mid 19th Century. In a definitive paper published in 1869, Thomas Andrews described experiments he performed on carbon dioxide and from which he concluded that a critical temperature exists below which liquids and gases are distinct phases of matter, but above which they merge into a single fluid phase. During the years which followed, other natural phenomena were discovered to which the same critical point description can be applied - such as ferromagnetism and solutions. This book provides an historical account of theoretical explanations of critical phenomena which ultimately led to a major triumph of statistical mechanics in the 20th Century - with the award of the Nobel Prize for Physics <p>"1. Preface 2. Historical Survey 3. Fluids: Classical Theory 4. Light Scattering and Correlations: Classical Theory 5. The Onsager Revolution 6. Reconciliation 7. Renormalization Group 8. Appendix: Related Topics 9. References 10. Index<br><br>Contents<br><br>Preface<br><br>Foreword: About the Author and the Subject<br><br>1</p>