Dynamic scaling of the critical ultrasonic attenuation in binary liquids: evidence from broadband spectrometry

Between 200 kHz and 500 MHz, the ultrasonic attenuation spectrum of the ethanol/dodecane mixture of critical composition has been measured at various temperatures near the critical one. The measured broadband spectra are evaluated in light of the Ferrell-Bhattacharjee dynamic scaling theory. The experimental findings largely fit the theoretical spectral function if suitable crossover corrections are made using dynamic light-scattering data. The measured scaling function follows the predictions of the recent Folk-Moser renormalization-group theory even better. Combining our ultrasonic attenuation coefficient data with density data from the literature, the asymptotic critical behavior of the thermal expansion coefficient and of the specific heat has been determined and found consistent with the two-scale factor universality. The sonic attenuation data have also been evaluated to yield the adiabatic coupling constant g of the dynamic scaling theory. The unusually small absolute value |g|=0.1 resulted, in fairly good agreement with |g|=0.13 as following from thermodynamic data.