Light scattering in molten sulfur in the anomaly region

Light-scattering measurements have been made on liquid sulfur in a wide range around the liquid–liquid critical point associated with polymerization. Near the polymerization temperature $t_{\lambda} = 159^{\circ}$C, the scattering increases by $2$–$3$ orders of magnitude. The main contribution is due to fluctuations in the polymer concentration, not to the density fluctuations occurring near an ordinary liquid–vapor critical point. This corresponds to a new scattering mechanism in the isotropic liquid, which is equivalent to second-order scattering at critical fluctuations near a second-order phase transition point, which has been observed previously only in solids.