Phase equilibria in Hg-He mixtures near the critical point of almost pure Hg

Abstract

Abstract The paper presents new high pressure - high temperature experiments on the phase behavior of mercury-helium mixtures. Two distinct fluid phases are shown to exist in Hg-He-mixtures at temperatures and pressures higher than the critical temperature and pressure of pure mercury. Very accurate thermoelectric properties in the immediate vicinity of the critical point of pure fluid mercury show that profound chnages in the electronic structure in that region are manifest in a correspondingly strong thermodynamic state-dependence of the effective interparticle interaction. The latter noticeably influences the features of the phase behavior of pure fluid Hg and the Hg-He-mixtures.