https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2006-00117-x
Maxwell-Jüttner distributions in relativistic molecular dynamics
1
Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 1029 Torino, Italy
2
Dipartimento di Matematica, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 1029 Torino, Italy
3
School of Physics, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
Corresponding authors: a antonio.aliano@polito.it - b lamberto.rondoni@polito.it - c G.Morriss@unsw.edu.au
Received:
3
October
2005
Revised:
28
November
2005
Published online:
12
April
2006
In relativistic kinetic theory, which underlies relativistic
hydrodynamics, the molecular chaos hypothesis stands at the basis of
the equilibrium Maxwell-J
ttner probability
distribution for the four-momentum pα. We investigate the
possibility of validating this hypothesis by means of microscopic
relativistic dynamics. We do this by introducing a model of
relativistic colliding particles, and studying its dynamics. We
verify the validity of the molecular chaos hypothesis, and of the
Maxwell-Jttner distributions for our model. Two
linear relations between temperature and average kinetic energy are
obtained in classical and ultrarelativistic regimes.
PACS: 05.10.-a – Computational methods in statistical physics and nonlinear dynamics / 51.10.+y – Kinetic and transport theory of gases / 47.52.+j – Chaos in fluid dynamics / 47.75.+f – Relativistic fluid dynamics
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2006
