We respond to recent articles (Int. J. Thermophysics 39 139 2018, ibid. 40 21 2019) that seek to deny the veracity of the empirical discovery and thermodynamic description of a gas–liquid supercritical mesophase. These IJT articles are misleading because they are based upon a false premise that the mesophase is a hypothetical concept. There is no “mesophase hypothesis” as wrongly stated in the title of article IJT, 40 21, 2019. Unlike the critical point continuity hypothesis of van der Waals (1873), or the universal critical point scaling hypothesis advocated by Anisimov and Sengers, and others since 1965, the supercritical mesophase is an empirical entity. If a hypothetical van der Waals fluid with the properties of a critical-state point with divergent isochoric heat capacity, and with the scaling properties of “universality” theory, were to exist, it could be used to vitiate the second law of thermodynamics. By contrast, the supercritical mesophase, discovered originally from computer experiments, is an empirically established equilibrium fluid region, of two-state systems of gas plus liquid, within a single Gibbs phase; the properties of which are determined by the laws of thermodynamics. Here, we provide a phenomenological definition of the gas–liquid supercritical mesophase that accords with the body of compelling experimental results over a 150-year period since van der Waals including modern computer experiments.

中文翻译：

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气液超临界中间相的经验测定及其现象学定义

我们对最近的文章 (Int. J. Thermophysics 39 139 2018, ibid. 40 21 2019) 做出回应，这些文章试图否认气液超临界中间相的经验发现和热力学描述的真实性。这些 IJT 文章具有误导性，因为它们基于中间相是一个假设概念的错误前提。不存在 IJT, 40 21, 2019 文章标题中错误地陈述的“中间相假设”。 不同于 van der Waals (1873) 的临界点连续性假设，或 Anisimov 和 Sengers 倡导的通用临界点标度假设，以及其他自 1965 年以来，超临界中间相是一个经验实体。如果假设范德华流体具有临界状态点的性质，具有发散等容热容，并具有“普遍性”理论的标度性质，如果存在，它可以用来破坏热力学第二定律。相比之下，最初从计算机实验中发现的超临界中间相是一个凭经验建立的平衡流体区域，在单个吉布斯相内，是气液两态系统；其性质由热力学定律决定。在这里，我们提供了气液超临界中间相的现象学定义，该定义与自范德瓦尔斯（包括现代计算机实验）以来 150 年期间的大量实验结果一致。在单个吉布斯阶段内；其性质由热力学定律决定。在这里，我们提供了气液超临界中间相的现象学定义，该定义与自范德瓦尔斯（包括现代计算机实验）以来 150 年期间的大量实验结果一致。在单个吉布斯阶段内；其性质由热力学定律决定。在这里，我们提供了气液超临界中间相的现象学定义，该定义与自范德瓦尔斯（包括现代计算机实验）以来 150 年期间的大量实验结果一致。