On the dielectric anomaly and clustering effects in dense mercury vapour

Abstract

The Bruggeman optical effective-medium theory has been used to study the observed dielectric anomaly in mercury vapour for the charged-droplet model proposed by the Marburg group. Although the anomalous behaviour of the real part of the dielectric constant is reproduced qualitatively, the model does not simultaneously fit the density corresponding to the maximum of the dielectric constant and to the onset of metallic behaviour.