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Letter

Nature Physics 3, 636–640 (1 September 2007) | doi:10.1038/nphys679

Bridging length scales in colloidal liquids and interfaces from near-critical divergence to single particles

C. Patrick Royall , Dirk G. A. L. Aarts & Hajime Tanaka

Boiling and condensation are among the best recognized phase transitions of condensed matter. Approaching the critical point, a liquid becomes indistinguishable from its vapour, the interfacial thickness diverges and the system is dominated by long-wavelength density fluctuations.