Hard spheres and related objects (hard disks and mixtures of hard systems) are paradigmatic systems: indeed, they have served as a basis for the theoretical and numerical development of a number of fields, such as general liquids and fluids, amorphous solids, liquid crystals, colloids and granular matter, to name but a few. The present volume introduces and reviews some important basics and progress in the study of such systems. Their structure, thermodynamic properties, equations of state, as well as kinetic and transport properties are considered from different and complementary points of view. This book addresses graduate students, lecturers as well as researchers in statistical mechanics, physics of liquids, physical chemistry and chemical engineering.

Hard spheres and related objects (hard disks and mixtures of hard systems) are paradigmatic systems: indeed, they have served as a basis for the theoretical and numerical development of a number of fields, such as general liquids and fluids, amorphous solids, liquid crystals, colloids and granular matter, to name but a few. The present volume introduces and reviews some important basics and progress in the study of such systems. Their structure, thermodynamic properties, equations of state, as well as kinetic and transport properties are considered from different and complementary points of view. This book addresses graduate students, lecturers as well as researchers in statistical mechanics, physics of liquids, physical chemistry and chemical engineering.

This book, Perturbation Theories for the Thermodynamic Properties of Fluids and Solids, provides a comprehensive review of current perturbation theories—as well as integral equation theories and density functional theories—for the equilibrium thermodynamic and structural properties of classical systems. Emphasizing practical applications, the text avoids complex theoretical derivations as much as possible. It begins with discussions of the nature of intermolecular forces and simple potential models. The book also presents a summary of statistical mechanics concepts and formulae. In addition, it reviews simulation techniques, providing background for the performance analyses of theories executed throughout the text using simulation data. Chapters describe integral equation theories, theoretical approaches for hard-sphere fluid or solid systems, and perturbation theories for simple fluids and solids for monocomponent and multicomponent systems. They also cover density functional theories for inhomogeneous systems and perturbative and nonperturbative approaches to describe the structure and thermodynamics of hard-body molecular fluids. The final chapter examines several more challenging systems, such as fluids near the critical point, liquid metals, molten salts, colloids, and aqueous protein solutions. This book offers a thorough account of the available equilibrium theories for the thermodynamic and structural properties of fluids and solids, with special focus on perturbation theories, emphasizing their applications, strengths, and weaknesses. Appropriate for experienced researchers as well as postgraduate students, the text presents a wide-ranging yet detailed view and provides a useful guide to the application of the theories described.

This short primer offers non-specialist readers a concise, yet comprehensive introduction to the field of classical fluids – providing both fundamental information and a number of selected topics to bridge the gap between the basics and ongoing research. In particular, hard-sphere systems represent a favorite playground in statistical mechanics, both in and out of equilibrium, as they represent the simplest models of many-body systems of interacting particles, and at higher temperature and densities they have proven to be very useful as reference systems for real fluids. Moreover, their usefulness in the realm of soft condensed matter has become increasingly recognized – for instance, the effective interaction among (sterically stabilized) colloidal particles can be tuned to almost perfectly match the hard-sphere model. These lecture notes present a brief, self-contained overview of equilibrium statistical mechanics of classical fluids, with special applications to both the structural and thermodynamic properties of systems made of particles interacting via the hard-sphere potential or closely related model potentials. In particular it addresses the exact statistical-mechanical properties of one-dimensional systems, the issue of thermodynamic (in)consistency among different routes in the context of several approximate theories, and the construction of analytical or semi-analytical approximations for the structural properties. Written pedagogically at the graduate level, with many figures, tables, photographs, and guided end-of-chapter exercises, this introductory text benefits students and newcomers to the field alike.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics of Small Systems" that was published in Entropy

This book gives a comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of the theory of "simple" liquids. The new second edition has been rearranged and considerably expanded to give a balanced account both of basic theory and of the advances of the past decade. It presents the main ideas of modern liquid state theory in a way that is both pedagogical and self-contained. The book should be accessible to graduate students and research workers, both experimentalists and theorists, who have a good background in elementary mechanics. - Compares theoretical deductions with experimental results - Molecular dynamics - Monte Carlo computations - Covers ionic, metallic, and molecular liquids

Computer simulation is an essential tool in studying the chemistry and physics of liquids. Simulations allow us to develop models and to test them against experimental data. This book is an introduction and practical guide to the molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo methods.

Modern physics is confronted with a large variety of complex spatial patterns. Although both spatial statisticians and statistical physicists study random geometrical structures, there has been only little interaction between the two up to now because of different traditions and languages. This volume aims to change this situation by presenting in a clear way fundamental concepts of spatial statistics which are of great potential value for condensed matter physics and materials sciences in general, and for porous media, percolation and Gibbs processes in particular. Geometric aspects, in particular ideas of stochastic and integral geometry, play a central role throughout. With nonspecialist researchers and graduate students also in mind, prominent physicists give an excellent introduction here to modern ideas of statistical physics pertinent to this exciting field of research.

Understanding Molecular Simulation explains molecular simulation from a chemical-physics and statistical-mechanics perspective. It highlights how physical concepts are used to develop better algorithms and expand the range of applicability of simulations. Understanding Molecular Simulation is equally relevant for those who develop new code and those who use existing packages. Both groups are continuously confronted with the question of which computational technique best suits a given application. Understanding Molecular Simulation provides readers with the foundational knowledge they need to learn about, select and apply the most appropriate of these tools to their own work. The implementation of simulation methods is illustrated in pseudocodes, and their practical use is shown via case studies presented throughout the text. Since the second edition's publication, the simulation world has expanded significantly: existing techniques have continued to develop, and new ones have emerged, opening up novel application areas. This new edition aims to describe these new developments without becoming exhaustive; examples are included that highlight current uses, and several new examples have been added to illustrate recent applications. Examples, case studies, questions, and downloadable algorithms are also included to support learning. No prior knowledge of computer simulation is assumed. - Fully updated guide to both the current state and latest developments in the field of molecular simulation, including added and expanded information on such topics as molecular dynamics and statistical assessment of simulation results - Gives a rounded overview by showing fundamental background information in practice via new examples in a range of key fields - Provides online access to new data, algorithms and tutorial slides to support and encourage practice and learning

A monograph examining recent progress in the field of inhomogeneous fluids, focusing on the theoretical - as well as experimental - techniques used. It presents the comprehensive theory of first-order phase transitions, including melting, and contains numerous figures, tables and display equations.;The contributors treat such subjects as: exact sum rules for inhomogenous fluids, explaining density functional and integral equation methods; exact solutions for two-dimensional homogeneous and inhomogeneous plasmas; current advances in the theory of interfacial electrochemistry; wetting experiments and the theory of wetting; freezing, with an emphasis on quantum systems and homogeneous nucleation in liquid-vapour and solid-liquid transitions; self-organizing liquids as well as kinetic phenomena in inhomogeneous fluids, using a modified Enskog theory.;Featuring over 1000 bibliographic citations, this volume is aimed at physical, surface, colloid and surfactant chemists; also physicists, electrochemists and graduate-level students in these disciplines.