Luis Gonzalez MacDowell

Abstract:

The study of surface fluctuations is a non-invasive technique for the

The study of surface fluctuations is a non-invasive technique for the

measurement of surface properties. Experimentally, surface fluctuations

can be probed with a number of techniques such as surface scattering,

but it is often very difficult to resolve unambiguously bulk from surface properties. In this talk we will discuss how we can use computer simulations in order to study surface fluctuations and extract very fine details of the interface, such as the dependence of surface tension on external fields. We will illustrate this with applications to widely different systems, such as adhesion, crystal growth and tribology.