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The nature of the liquid-vapour interface and other topics in the statistical mechanics of non-uniform, classical fluids

1979/04/01 by R. Evans, Robert Evans · 2,680 citations
Engineering · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Capillary action #Capillary wave #Material Dynamics and Properties #Materials science #Mechanics #Monatomic ion #Phase (matter) #Phase Equilibria and Thermodynamics #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Spinodal #Statistical mechanics #Surface tension #Theoretical and Computational Physics #Thermodynamics

paper · doi:10.1080/00018737900101365

published in Advances In Physics 28(2), 143-200 (Taylor & Francis)

openalex publication_date 1979/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

Recent theoretical work on the microscopic structure and surface tension of the liquid-vapour interface of simple (argon-like) fluids is critically reviewed. In particular, the form of pairwise intermolecular correlations in the liquid surface and the capillary wave treatment of the interface are examined in some detail. It is argued that conventional capillary wave theory, which leads to divergences in the width of the density profile, is unsatisfactory for describing all the equilibrium aspects of the interface. The density functional formalism which has been developed to study the liquid-vapour interface can also be profitably applied to other problems in the statistical mechanics of non-uniform fluids; here a new generalization of the ‘linear’ theory of spinodal decomposition is formulated and by considering a ‘nearly uniform’ fluid, some useful results for the long-wavelength behaviour of the liquid structure factor of various monatomic liquids are obtained. Some other topics of current interest in this area are briefly discussed.

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