Elisabeth Schöll-Paschinger

Vapor-liquid equilibrium and critical behavior of the square-well fluid of variable range: A theoretical study

The vapor-liquid phase behavior and the critical behavior of the square-well (SW) fluid are investigated as a function of the interaction range, lambdain [1.25, 3], by means of the self-consistent Ornstein-Zernike approximation (SCOZA) and analytical equations of state based on a perturbation theory [A. L. Benavides and F. del Rio, Mol. Phys. 68, 983 (1989); A. Gil-Villegas, F. del Rio, and A. L. Benavides, Fluid Phase Equilib. 119, 97 (1996)]. For this purpose the SCOZA, which has been restricted up to now to a few model systems, has been generalized to hard-core systems with arbitrary interaction potentials requiring a fully numerical solution of an integro-partial differential equation. Both approaches, in general, describe well the liquid-vapor phase diagram of the square-well fluid when compared with simulation data. SCOZA yields very precise predictions for the coexistence curves in the case of long ranged SW interaction (lambda>1.5), and the perturbation theory is able to predict the binodal curves and the saturated pressures, for all interaction ranges considered if one stays away from the critical region. In all cases, the SCOZA gives very good predictions for the critical temperatures and the critical pressures, while the perturbation theory approach tends to slightly overestimate these quantities. Furthermore, we propose analytical expressions for the critical temperatures and pressures as a function of the square-well range.

Phase behavior of colloids and proteins in aqueous suspensions: Theory and computer simulations

The fluid phase behavior of colloidal suspensions with short-range attractive interactions is studied by means of Monte Carlo computer simulations and two theoretical approximations, namely, the discrete perturbation theory and the so-called self-consistent Ornstein-Zernike approximation. The suspensions are modeled as hard-core attractive Yukawa (HCAY) and Asakura-Oosawa (AO) fluids. A detailed comparison of the liquid-vapor phase diagrams obtained through different routes is presented. We confirm Noro-Frenkels extended law of scaling according to which the properties of a short-ranged fluid at a given temperature and density are independent of the detailed form of the interaction, but just depend on the value of the second virial coefficient. By mapping the HCAY and AO fluids onto an equivalent square-well fluid of appropriate range at the critical point we show that the critical temperature as a function of the effective range is independent of the interaction potential, i.e., all curves fall in a master curve. Our findings are corroborated with recent experimental data for lysozyme proteins.

A proof of Jarzynski’s nonequilibrium work theorem for dynamical systems that conserve the canonical distribution

We present a derivation of the Jarzynski [Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 2690 (1997)] identity and the Crooks [J. Stat. Phys. 90, 1481 (1998)] fluctuation theorem for systems governed by deterministic dynamics that conserves the canonical distribution such as Hamiltonian dynamics, Nose-Hoover dynamics, Nose-Hoover chains, and Gaussian isokinetic dynamics. The proof is based on a relation between the heat absorbed by the system during the nonequilibrium process and the Jacobian of the phase flow generated by the dynamics.

Thermodynamics of a long-range triangle-well fluid

The long-range triangle-well fluid has been studied using three different approaches: firstly, by an analytical equation of state obtained by a perturbation theory, secondly via a self-consistent integral equation theory, the so-called self-consistent Ornstein–Zernike approach (SCOZA) which is presently one of the most accurate liquid-state theories, and finally by Monte Carlo simulations. We present vapour–liquid phase diagrams and thermodynamic properties such as the internal energy and the pressure as a function of the density at different temperatures and for several values of the potential range. We assess the accuracy of the theoretical approaches by comparison with Monte Carlo simulations: the SCOZA method accurately predicts the thermodynamics of these systems and the first-order perturbation theory reproduces the overall thermodynamic behaviour for ranges greater than two molecular diameters except that it overestimates the critical point. The simplicity of the equation of state and the fact that it is analytical in the potential range makes it a good candidate to be used for calculating other thermodynamic properties and as an ingredient in more complex theoretical approaches.

Phase diagram of a binary symmetric hard-core Yukawa mixture

We assess the accuracy of the self-consistent Ornstein-Zernike approximation for a binary symmetric hard-core Yukawa mixture by comparison with Monte Carlo simulations of the phase diagrams obtained for different choices of the ratio alpha of the unlike-to-like interactions. In particular, from the results obtained at alpha=0.75 we find evidence for a critical endpoint in contrast to recent studies based on integral equation and hierarchical reference theories. The variation of the phase diagrams with range of the Yukawa potential is investigated.

Phase transitions and critical behaviour of simple fluids and their mixtures

It has become clear that the self-consistent Ornstein–Zernike approximation (SCOZA) is a microscopic liquid-state theory that is able to predict the location of the critical point and of the liquid–vapour coexistence line of a simple fluid with high accuracy. However, applications of the SCOZA to continuum systems have been restricted up to now to liquids where the interatomic potentials consist of a hard-core part with an attractive two-Yukawa-tail part. We present here a reformulation of the SCOZA that is based on the Wertheim–Baxter formalism for solving the mean-spherical approximation for a hard-core–multi-Yukawa-tail fluid. This SCOZA version offers more flexibility and opens access to systems where the interactions can be represented by a suitable linear combination of Yukawa tails. We demonstrate the power of this generalized SCOZA for a model system of fullerenes; furthermore, we study the critical behaviour of a system with an explicitly density-dependent interaction where the phenomenon of double criticality is observed. Finally, we extend our SCOZA version to the case of a binary symmetric mixture and present and discuss results for phase diagrams.

Self-consistent Ornstein–Zernike approximation for a binary symmetric fluid mixture

The self-consistent Ornstein–Zernike approximation (SCOZA) is an advanced microscopic liquid state method that is known to give accurate results in the critical region and for the localization of coexistence curves; this has been confirmed in several applications to continuous and discrete one component systems. In this contribution we present the extension of the SCOZA formalism to the case of a binary symmetric fluid mixture characterized by hard-core potentials with adjacent attractive interactions, given by linear combinations of Yukawa tails. We discuss the stability criteria for such a system and present results for the phase behavior: we recover the well-known three archetypes of phase diagrams, characterized by the different manners the second order demixing line (λ-line) intersects the first order liquid–vapor coexistence curve.

Liquid–vapour transition of the long range Yukawa fluid

Two liquid state theories, the self-consistent Ornstein–Zernike equation (SCOZA) and the hierarchical reference theory (HRT) are shown, by comparison with Monte Carlo simulations, to perform extremely well in predicting the liquid–vapour coexistence of the hard-core Yukawa (HCY) fluid when the interaction is long range. The long range of the potential is treated in the simulations using both an Ewald sum and hyperspherical boundary conditions. In addition, we present an analytical optimized mean field theory which is exact in the limit of an infinitely long-range interaction. The work extends a previous one by C. Caccamo, G. Pellicane, D. Costa, D. Pini, and G. Stell, Phys. Rev. E 60, 5533 (1999) for short-range interactions.

Self-consistent Ornstein–Zernike approximation for the Sogami–Ise fluid

We generalize the self-consistent Ornstein-Zernike approximation (SCOZA) to a fluid of particles with a pair potential consisting of a hard-core repulsion and a linear combination of Sogami-Ise tails, w(r)=-epsilonsigma summation operator (nu)(K(nu)/r+L(nu)z(nu))e(-z(nu)(r-sigma)). The formulation and implementation of the SCOZA takes advantage of the availability of semianalytic results for such systems within the mean-spherical approximation. The predictions for the thermodynamics, the phase behavior and the critical point are compared with optimized random phase approximation results; further, the effect of thermodynamic consistency is investigated.

Type-IV phase behavior in fluids with an internal degree of freedom

We have identified a fourth archetype of phase diagram in binary symmetrical mixtures, which is encountered when the ratio of the interaction between the unlike and the like particles is sufficiently small. This type of phase diagram is characterized by the fact that the lambda line (i.e., the line of the second-order demixing transition) intersects the first-order liquid-vapor curve at densities smaller than the liquid-vapor critical density.