Fractional phase transitions of RN-AdS black holes at their Davies points

In this study, we investigate the phase transitions of the RN-AdS black hole at its Davies points according to the generalized Ehrenfest classification of phase transition established based on fractional derivatives. Notably, Davies points label the positions at which the heat capacity diverges. According to the usual Ehrenfest classification, second-order phase transitions occur at these points. For the RN-AdS black hole, the Davies points can be classified into two types. The first type corresponds to extreme values of the temperature, and the second type corresponds to the infection point (namely the critical point) of temperature. Employing the generalized Ehrenfest classification, we determine that the orders of phase transition at the two types of Davies points are different, that is, we note an order of 3/2 for the first type and 4/3 for the second type. Thus, this finer-grained classification can discriminate between phase transitions that are expected to lie in the same category, providing new insights leading toward a better understanding of black hole thermodynamics.