  We present a coarse-grained lattice model of solvation thermodynamics and the
hydrophobic effect that implements the ideas of Lum-Chandler-Weeks (LCW) theory
[J. Phys. Chem. B 103, 4570 (1999)] and improves upon previous lattice models
based on it. Through comparison with molecular simulation, we show that our
model captures the length-scale and curvature dependence of solvation free
energies with near-quantitative accuracy and two to three orders of magnitude
less computational effort, and further, correctly describes the large but rare
solvent fluctuations that are involved in dewetting, vapor tube formation and
hydrophobic assembly. Our model is intermediate in detail and complexity
between implicit-solvent models and explicit-water simulations.
