Unified treatment of the metal-non-metal and liquid-vapour transitions in monovalent-atom fluids

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Abstract
A unified framework is presented with which to treat the metal-non-metal and liquid-vapour transitions of simple metal-atom fluids. The basic element consists of allowing the electrons in the system a choice between delocalized conducting states and localized atomic valence states. Thermal equilibrium between such states, at fixed total density, leads to the metal-non-metal transition. Replacing this constraint by the equal total pressure and chemical potential one yields the liquid-vapour transition.