Statistical Mechanics of Membranes and Surfaces

The Fifth Jerusalem Winter School on the Statistical Mechanics of Membranes and Surfaces was held from December 28, 1987 to January 6, 1988. The School focused on the theory of the highly convoluted surface fluctuations which appear in such diverse condensed matter system as microemulsions, wetting and growth interfaces, bulk lyotropic liquid crystals, chalcogenide glasses and sheet polymers. The delicate interplay between geometry and statistical mechanics in these systems can be described using tools from the fields og polymer physics, differential geometry, and critical phenomena. Our theoretical understanding of these problems can be tested by a wide variety of laboratory experiments, which probe fluctuations ranging from relatively benign capillary waves at interfaces, to wild undulations in biological membranes. The School was fortunate to have many lecturers who were outstanding teachers as well as distinguished scientists. Virtually all the lecturers contributed manuscripts to this volume, which can serve as a useful introduction for theorists and experimentalists who wish to learn more about this rapidly developing field.