Percolation transition in fluids: scaling behavior of the spanning probability functions

Phys Rev Lett. 2007 Sep 21;99(12):127801. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.127801. Epub 2007 Sep 20.

Abstract

We examine different spanning probability functions (wrapping and crossing) near the percolation threshold of a supercritical square-well fluid and determine the threshold values of these probabilities, which may be universal for all fluids. It is shown that for a continuous system, over a wide range of system size, the wrapping probabilities can be described by universal scaling functions, whereas the crossing probabilities do not show such universal behavior over the same range of system size. The obtained universal functions for the wrapping probabilities can be used for an estimation of the percolation threshold in fluids in general. The results for the crossing probabilities allow us then to characterize large clusters in real fluids.