Solution (source code)

= Solution

Surfactants accumulate at an interface and orient their two chemically distinct ends toward their preferred fluid components. The relaxation found in part c lowers the coefficient of the <gradient energy>, and hence generally lowers the <surface tension>. If the reduction makes $\widetilde\kappa<0$, the positive fourth-gradient term proportional to $\gamma$ can stabilize structure at a nonzero <wavevector>, producing the modulated correlations characteristic of a <microemulsion>.