English

Asymmetric Fluid Criticality II: Finite-Size Scaling for Simulations

Statistical Mechanics 2009-11-10 v1

Abstract

The vapor-liquid critical behavior of intrinsically asymmetric fluids is studied in finite systems of linear dimensions, LL, focusing on periodic boundary conditions, as appropriate for simulations. The recently propounded ``complete'' thermodynamic (L)(L\to\infty) scaling theory incorporating pressure mixing in the scaling fields as well as corrections to scaling [arXiv:condmat/0212145]{[arXiv:cond-mat/0212145]}, is extended to finite LL, initially in a grand canonical representation. The theory allows for a Yang-Yang anomaly in which, when LL\to\infty, the second temperature derivative, (d2μσ/dT2)(d^{2}\mu_{\sigma}/dT^{2}), of the chemical potential along the phase boundary, μσ(T)\mu_{\sigma}(T), diverges when T\TcT\to\Tc -. The finite-size behavior of various special {\em critical loci} in the temperature-density or (T,ρ)(T,\rho) plane, in particular, the kk-inflection susceptibility loci and the QQ-maximal loci -- derived from QL(T,<ρ>L)<m2>L2/<m4>LQ_{L}(T,<\rho>_{L}) \equiv < m^{2}>^{2}_{L}/< m^{4}>_{L} where mρ<ρ>Lm \equiv \rho - <\rho>_{L} -- is carefully elucidated and shown to be of value in estimating \Tc\Tc and \rhoc\rhoc. Concrete illustrations are presented for the hard-core square-well fluid and for the restricted primitive model electrolyte including an estimate of the correlation exponent ν\nu that confirms Ising-type character. The treatment is extended to the canonical representation where further complications appear.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0306331,
  title  = {Asymmetric Fluid Criticality II: Finite-Size Scaling for Simulations},
  author = {Young C. Kim and Michael E. Fisher},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0306331},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

23 pages in the two-column format (including 13 figures) This is Part II of the previous paper [arXiv:cond-mat/0212145]