Critical phenomena: 150 years since Cagniard de la Tour

TL;DR

This paper commemorates the 150th anniversary of Cagniard de la Tour's discovery of critical phenomena, reviewing its historical context and development over time to present day.

Contribution

It provides a historical overview of critical phenomena, highlighting the main developments since Cagniard de la Tour's initial discovery.

Findings

Historical context of critical phenomena explained

Main development lines of critical phenomena outlined

Significance of Cagniard de la Tour's discovery emphasized

Abstract

Critical phenomena were discovered by Cagniard de la Tour in 1822, who died 150 years ago. In order to mark this anniversary, the context and the early history of his discovery is reviewed. We then follow with a brief sketch of the history of critical phenomena, indicating the main lines of development until the present date. Os fen\'omenos cr\'{\i}ticos foram descobertos pelo Cagniard de la Tour em Paris em 1822. Para comemorar os 150 anos da sua morte, o contexto e a hist\'oria initial da sua descoberta \'e contada. Conseguimos com uma descri\c{c}\~ao breve da hist\'oria dos fen\'emenos cr\'{\i}ticos, indicando as linhas principais do desenvolvimento at\'e o presente.