A study of anisotropic pair distribution theories for Lennard-Jones fluids in narrow slits. Part II. Pair correlations and solvation forces

Abstract

Density profiles and anisotropic pair correlation functions have been calculated for a Lennard-Jones fluid in a narrow slit with attractive walls, using integral equation theory. Representative examples of these functions are presented graphically in full detail. The force between the walls as a function of the slit width for such a system is strongly oscillatory. Several aspects of the mechanism of this force are understood from a careful examination of the density profile and other one-particle properties, but an even more detailed picture is obtained by studying the pair distribution functions. We also present plots of the direct pair correlation function, the structure of which is found to be very simple. For the current system, even when the slit is narrow, this function is qualitatively similar to that of the bulk phase, but the quantitative differences can be considerable.