Wave Propagation And Landau-Type Damping In Liquids

Intermolecular forces are modeled by means of a modified Lennard-Jones potential, introducing a distance of minimum approach, and the effect of intermolecular interactions is accounted for with a self consistent field of the Vlasov type. A Vlasov equation is then written and used to investigate the propagation of perturbations in a liquid. A dispersion relation is obtained and an effect of damping, analogous to what is known in plasmas as "Landau damping", is found to take place.