A DENSITY FUNCTIONAL-MODEL FOR THE SURFACE-PROPERTIES OF LIQUID-HE-4

A density functional approach is proposed to study the He-4 liquid-gas interface. The free energy density, which depends on the particle density and temperature, has been adjusted to reproduce the liquid density and the vapour pressure along the liquid-gas coexistence line, as well as the zero-temperature surface tension. After achieving a fairly good description of the phase transition, the calculated surface tension agrees well with the experimental results. The calculated density profile is used to discuss a recent experimental determination of the surface thickness.