Widom delta of supercritical gas-liquid coexistence

Abstract

We report on the coexistence of liquid-like and gas-like structures in supercritical fluid (SCF). The deltoid coexistence region encloses the Widom line, and may therefore be termed the "Widom delta". Machine learning analysis of simulation data shows continuous transition across the delta, from liquid-like to gas-like states, with fractions following a simplified two-state model. This suggests a microscopic view of the SCF as a mixture of liquid-like and gas-like structures, where the anomalous behavior near the critical point originates from fluctuations between the two types.