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Interfacially adsorbed bubbles determine the shape of droplets

by Alessio Squarcini, Antonio Tinti

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Submission summary

Authors (as registered SciPost users): Alessio Squarcini
Submission information
Preprint Link: scipost_202302_00024v2  (pdf)
Date accepted: 2023-08-23
Date submitted: 2023-07-14 14:03
Submitted by: Squarcini, Alessio
Submitted to: SciPost Physics
Ontological classification
Academic field: Physics
Specialties:
  • Condensed Matter Physics - Theory
  • Condensed Matter Physics - Computational
  • Statistical and Soft Matter Physics
Approaches: Theoretical, Computational

Abstract

The characterization of density correlations in the presence of strongly fluctuating interfaces has always been considered a difficult problem in statistical mechanics. Here we study -- by using recently developed exact field-theoretical techniques -- density correlations for an interface with endpoints on a wall forming a droplet in 2D. Our framework applies to interfaces entropically repelled by a hard wall as well as to wetting transitions. In the former case bubbles adsorbed on the interface are taken into account by the theory which yields a systematic treatment of finite-size corrections to one- and two-point functions and show how these are related to Brownian excursions. Our analytical predictions are confirmed by Monte Carlo simulations without free parameters. We also determine one- and two-point functions at wetting by using integrable boundary field theory. We show that correlations are long ranged for entropic repulsion and at wetting. For both regimes we investigate correlations in momentum space by generalizing the notion of interface structure factor to semi-confined systems. Distinctive signatures of the two regimes manifest in the structure factor through a term that we identify on top of the capillary-wave one.

List of changes

LIST OF CHANGES
- p.2, line 16: we have clarified the notion of universality.
- p.2, we have added footnote 1.
- p.3, we have corrected the sentence before [27].
- p.3, we have added footnote 2.
- p.4, we have added the explanation of the symbols $\rho_{l}$, $\rho_{v}$, and $\gamma_{lv}$
- p.4, we have corrected the paragraph about the structure of the paper. In particular we have specified that Appendix A contains a derivation of Antonov’s rule of wetting.
- Sec. 2 in the new version of the paper is the former Sec. 6. The wording of Sec. 2 has been improved and a new paragraph has been added at page 7. The last entry in Tab. 1 has been edited.
- Sec. 3 in the new version of the paper is the former Sec. 2. The section name has been revised and a paragraph has been added.
- Sec. 4.1: paragraphs 2, 5, 6, 9 and 11 have been added.
- p.10: we have added Fig. 4.
- p.13: we have revised the plot of Fig. 5 (former Fig. 2).
- Sec. 4.2: we have added the last three paragraphs.
- Conclusions: we have amended the acknowledgments.
- Bibliography: we have added the following references: [52], [65-68], [71-74], [76-85], and [103].

Published as SciPost Phys. 15, 164 (2023)


Reports on this Submission

Report #2 by Anonymous (Referee 1) on 2023-7-19 (Invited Report)

  • Cite as: Anonymous, Report on arXiv:scipost_202302_00024v2, delivered 2023-07-19, doi: 10.21468/SciPost.Report.7532

Report

The authors did a very good job in responding my comments and revised their manuscript accordingly. While I do not at all share the concern that the requested comparison of Eqs. (7) and (11) with straightforward Monte-Carlo simulations would not fit the length of the manuscript (it would not affect the length, and there is, to my understanding, no limit on the length of manuscripts), I can accept if the authors want to publish such results elsewhere.

This remark aside, I am more than happy to recommend publication of this very valuable manuscript, addressing interfacial phenomena in near-critical systems; it provides a fresh perspective and holds clear potential to stimulate follow-up work.

  • validity: high
  • significance: high
  • originality: high
  • clarity: high
  • formatting: excellent
  • grammar: good

Report #1 by Anonymous (Referee 2) on 2023-7-14 (Invited Report)

Report

Accept revised manuscript

  • validity: -
  • significance: -
  • originality: -
  • clarity: -
  • formatting: -
  • grammar: -

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