title: General nonequilibrium theory of colloid dynamics.
abstract: A nonequilibrium extension of Onsager's canonical theory of thermal fluctuations is employed to derive a self-consistent theory for the description of the statistical properties of the instantaneous local concentration profile n(r,t) of a colloidal liquid in terms of the coupled time-evolution equations of its mean value n(r,t) and of the covariance [Formula in text] of its fluctuations δn(r,t)=n(r,t)-n(r,t). These two coarse-grained equations involve a local mobility function b(r,t) which, in its turn, is written in terms of the memory function of the two-time correlation function [Formula in text]. For given effective interactions between colloidal particles and applied external fields, the resulting self-consistent theory is aimed at describing the evolution of a strongly correlated colloidal liquid from an initial state with arbitrary mean and covariance n(0)(r) and σ(0)(r,r') toward its equilibrium state characterized by the equilibrium local concentration profile n(eq)(r) and equilibrium covariance σ(eq)(r,r'). This theory also provides a general theoretical framework to describe irreversible processes associated with dynamic arrest transitions, such as aging, and the effects of spatial heterogeneities.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Física Manuel Sandoval Vallarta, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Álvaro Obregón 64, San Luis Potosí, 78000 San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ramírez-González
authors.forename: Magdaleno
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Medina-Noyola