X-ray Investigation of the Critical Exponent η in Argon

Measurements were made of the small-angle x-ray scattering intensity from argon near the critical point. After the scattering curves are corrected for all known effects except those resulting from irrelevant variables, a value of the critical exponent η=0.09±0.02 is obtained, while if a correction for the estimated effect of irrelevant variables is also made, η=0.03±0.03. The scattering data for argon therefore show that if irrelevant variables can be neglected, the critical exponent η for argon is in good agreement with the value obtained by Warkulwiz, Mozer, and Green from small-angle neutron scattering data for neon. These values of η, however, are clearly greater than those obtained by calculations using high-temperature expansions and renormalizationgroup techniques. On the other hand, if the effects of irrelevant variables are given by the estimate used in correcting the scattering data, the η value computed from the scattering curves agrees with the theoretical results.