Boiling and condensation are among the best recognized phase transitions of condensed matter. Approaching the critical point, a liquid becomes indistinguishable from its vapour, the interfacial thickness diverges and the system is dominated by long-wavelength density fluctuations. Long wavelength usually means hundreds of particle diameters, but here we consider the limits of this assumption, using a mesoscopic analogue of simple liquids, a colloid-polymer mixture. We simultaneously visualize both the colloidal particles and near-critical density fluctuations, and reveal particle-level images of the critical clusters and liquid-gas interface. Surprisingly, we find that critical scaling does not break down until the correlation length approaches the size of the constituent particles, where there is a smooth transition to non-critical classical behaviour. Our results could provide a framework for unifying the disparate particle and correlation length scales, and bring new insight into the nature of the liquid-gas interface and the limit of the criticalregime. © 2007 Nature Publishing Group.
