Abstract
In hard-sphere systems, there is a fluid-solid transition, but no gas-liquid transition. In the fluid region, however, one can find a purely geometric percolation transition, which is studied in detail. The van der Waals model of hard spheres is treated. In this model, a uniform negative background potential is added. This modification does not change the structure, but induces a gas-liquid transition. In fact, percolation and the gas-liquid transition can be related to each other.
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Kratky, K.W. Is the percolation transition of hard spheres a thermodynamic phase transition?. J Stat Phys 52, 1413–1421 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01011656
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01011656