This article is cited in 15 papers

Van der Waals, Casimir, and Lifshitz forces in soft matter

E. I. Kats

Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, Moscow region

Abstract: E M Lifshitz’s theory of fluctuation molecular forces (Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz., Vol. 29, p. 94, 1955 [Sov. Phys. JETP, Vol. 2, 73, 1956]) and related problems are introduced from a historical perspective. Applications of the theory to soft matter physics are discussed, together with some new predictions (for example, the stability of smectic or cholesteric liquid crystal films).

Keywords: long-range forces, dispersion interactions, fluctuation forces, liquid crystals.

PACS: 01.10.-m, 01.10.Fv, 61.30.Cz, 64.70.М-, 68.35.В-

Received: March 29, 2015
Accepted: March 26, 2015

DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0185.201509g.0964

 English version: Physics–Uspekhi, 2015, 58:9, 892–896

Bibliographic databases:

• 
• 
• 
•