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The focus is on the main physical ideas and mathematical methods of the microscopic theory of fluids, starting with the basic principles of statistical mechanics. The detailed derivation of results is accompanied by explanation of their physical meaning. The same approach refers to several specialized topics of the liquid state, most of which are recent developments, such as: a perturbation approach to the surface tension, an algebraic perturbation theory of polar nonpolarizable fluids and ferrocolloids, a semi-phenomenological theory of the Tolman length and some others.
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V. I. Kalikmanov Statistical Physics of Fluids Basic Concepts and Applications With 52 Figures and 5 Tables Springer Dr. V. I. Kalikmanov of Applied Physics University of Delft Lorentzweg 1 2628 CJ Delft, The Netherlands Department Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Applied for. Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnahme Kalikmanov, Vitaly I.: Statistical physics of fluids : basic concepts and applications / V. I. Kalikmanov. - Berlin ; Heidelberg ; New York ; Barcelona ; Hong Kong ; London ; Milan ; Paris ; Singapore ; Tokyo : Springer, 2001 (Texts and monographs in physics) (Physics and astronomy online library) ISBN 3-540-41747-8 ISSN 0172-5998 ISBN 3-540-41747-8 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer-Verlag. Violations are liable for prosecution under the German Copyright Law. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York a member of BertelsmannSpringer Science+Business Media GmbH hup://www.springer.de (E) Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2001 Printed in Germany The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Typesetting: Camera-ready by the author Cover design: design & production GmbH, Heidelberg Printed on acid-free paper SPIN: 10831364 55/3141/XT -5432 1 0 To the memory of my mother Preface This book grew out of the senior level lecture course I teach at Delft University and which I have taught in recent years at Eindhoven University and the University of Utrecht. Numerous discussions with students and colleagues led me to the conclusion that in spite of the existence of excellent books on the statistical theory of fluids, there is a gap between the fundamental theory and application of its concepts and techniques to practical problems. This book is an attempt to at least partially fill it. It is not intended to be a thorough and comprehensive review of liquid state theory, which would inevitably require invoking a large number of results without actual derivation. Rather I prefer to focus on the main physical ideas and mathematical methods of fluid theory, starting with the basic principles of statistical mechanics, and present a detailed derivation of results accompanied by an explanation of their physical meaning. The same approach applies to several specialized topics of the liquid state, most of which are recent developments and belong to the areas of my own activities and thus reflect my personal taste. Wherever possible, theoretical predictions are compared with available experimental and simulation data. So, wha