Physics of liquid water. Structure and dynamics

We present structural and dynamic aspects of the physics of liquid water on a molecular level. We give an overview of the experimental approach, in particular of scattering techniques, and complement it with the insights provided by simple physical models and computer simulations. We discuss the modification of water structure and dynamics in view of the nature of the solute or surface, and its geometry. We show how the extent of confinement determines the phase behaviour of water. We give the physical perspective of different length scales and effects involved in the problem of hydrophobicity, and the relevance of cavitation to biology. We further discuss the scattering techniques to study the structural properties of biological macromolecules in aqueous solutions.