Density Functional Theory for Inhomogeneous Fluids: Statics, Dynamics, and Applications I

Classical Density Function Theory (DFT) describes the structural and thermodynamic properties of equilibrium fluids starting from a proper microscopic viewpoint, i.e. one based on atoms or molecules and the interactions between these. For several classes of fluid, equilibrium DFT has proved remarkably successful in predicting both bulk and interfacial phase behaviour and the structure (density profiles and correlation functions) of inhomogeneous systems. These lectures will present an overview of equilibrium DFT and some of its applications to understanding interfacial phenomena. The focus will be on simple fluid models for which approximate DFT approaches provide a reliable theory. (author)