Continuum

Continuum models were originally designed to handle liquid solution environments where the statistical averaging assumption in the relevant regions was viable. Typically these environments would have neutral net charge and a temperature where specific interactions like hydrogen bonding did not compromise the homogeneity of the system. These models have evolved to handle a wider variety of systems, such as ionic liquids and complex multiscale dielectric environments, such as metal nanoparticles and plasmonic devices on nearby QM systems.