CRITICAL-BEHAVIOR OF METALLIC LIQUIDS

Experimental results for fluid metals near the liquid-vapour critical point show that profound changes in the electronic structure of fluid metals occur in that region. A gradual transition from metallic to non-metallic behaviour occurs with decreasing density, which manifests itself in a correspondingly strong thermodynamic state dependence of the effective interparticle interaction. It will be shown that this strong dependence noticeably influences the thermodynamic and kinetic features of the vapour-liquid phase transition of fluid metals. Special emphasis will be given to the interplay between the critical point density fluctuations and the change in the electronic properties in the course of the metal-non-metal transition.