Fluctuating Interfaces, Surface Tension, and Capillary Waves: An Introduction

We present an introduction to modern theories of interfacial fluctuations and the associated interfacial parameters: surface tension and surface stiffness, as well as their interpretation within the capillary wave model. Transfer matrix spectrum properties due to fluctuation of an interface in a long-cylinder geometry are reviewed. The roughening transition and properties of rigid interfaces below the roughening temperature in 3d lattice models are surveyed with emphasis on differences in fluctuations and transfer matrix spectral properties of rigid vs. rough interfaces.