The density of a fluid on a curved surface

Abstract

We discuss the property of the number density of a fluid of particles living in a curved surface without boundaries to be constant in the thermodynamic limit. In particular we find a sufficient condition for the density to be constant along the Killing vector field generating a given isometry of the surface and the relevant necessary condition. We reinterpret the effect of a curvature on the fluid in a physical way as responsible of an external "force" acting on the particles.