Angular Distribution of the Intensity of Light Scattered from Xenon Near Its Critical Point

Abstract

We have measured the angular dependence of the intensity of light scattered from xenon near its critical point, verified the Ornstein-Zernike theory, and determined the temperature dependence of the isothermal compressibility ${\kappa }_T$, the long-range correlation length $\xi$, and the direct correlation range $R$. The exponents describing the divergences of ${\kappa }_T$ and $\xi$ are, respectively, ${{\gamma }_{\mathrm{liquid}}}^{\prime }=1.228\mathrm{}\pm 0.028$, ${{\gamma }_{\mathrm{vapor}}}^{\prime }=1.244\mathrm{}\pm 0.017$, and ${{\nu }_{\mathrm{vapor}}}^{\prime }=0.57\mathrm{}\pm 0.05$. $R$ is essentially constant at ∼6 Å.