Topics in interfacial phenomena
Achilleas Lazarides · Spiral (Imperial College London) · 2005
Most of the work reported in the first part (equiUbrium wetting) was done in close collaboration with my supervisor, Andy Parry, who had most of the ideas, and whose tolerance for my rather inertial approach to actually solving problems has been exemplary, and Jose-Manuel Romero-Enrique, a prolific conjurer of mathematical tricks.I am grateful to Andy for his help and moral support in my more pessimistic moments.Thanks are also due to Dr. John Gibbons for help in solving eqn.(4.37).The work described in the second part was not done in close collaboration with anyone, but the following people offered encouragement and moral support: Alvin Li-Shen Chua at the beginning and Christoph Haselwandter throughout, and of course Andy again who never failed to sit quietly in his armchair and follow my rants on his blackboard (at least to the extend that there was something to be followed).Petros Wallden was also always ready to lend an ear.Several other people were instrumental in my survival during the last three years in London: Agneta Cedarstrom, Evangelia Petrou and Panayiotis Parpas are only three of them.I must also not fail to mention Lih-King Lim, who, despite having deserted us three years ago, still manages to turn up on random train platforms in random countries where he is least expected.The AG Leventis foundation has kindly provided financial support during my studies; for this I am grateful.Marina and Stavroulla know that I am thankful for their friendship and love.Also, my mother, Elli, and my wife, Natasha, cannot be praised and thanked enough for putting up with any number of unpleasant aspects of my character over several years.