Four molecular dynamics computer simulations have been performed to study the intrinsic width and the width due to thermal fluctuations of the water/carbon tetrachloride interface. We observed that thermal fluctuations have a capillary wave character. The surface tension calculated by using capillary wave formalism shows a very good agreement with the value obtained from the components of the pressure tensor.

• Received 30 May 2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.176101