New Approaches to Problems in Liquid State Theory: Inhomogeneities and Phase Separation in Simple, Complex and Quantum Fluids

The theory of simple and complex fluids has made considerable recent progress, due to the emergence of new concepts and theoretical tools, and also to the availability of a large body of new experimental data on increas­ ingly complex systems, as well as far-reaching methodological developments in numerical simulations. This AS! aimed at providing a comprehensive overview of the most significant theoretical developments, supplemented by a few presentations of cutting-edge simulation and experimental work. The impact of the Institute in the overall landscape of Statistical Mechanics received an important recognition with its inclusion in the list of satellite events of STATPHYS20, the triennal international conference on Statistical Physics held in Paris in July 1998. These Proceedings contain the texts of the 13 Lecture Courses and 9 Invited Seminars delivered at Patti. Two clear trends emerge from these Proceedings: first, the diversity of new and unexpected theoretical results relating to classic models of liq­ uids, which have recently been subjected to fresh scrutiny; and secondly the parallel emergence of new concepts, models and methods, aimed at investigating complex fluids and phenomena, like the phase behaviour of fluids in pores, macromolecular assemblies, and the glass transition. Many of the new tools have their roots in traditional liquid state theory, and, in conjunction with fresh input from related fields, allow it wider applicability.