The Boltzmann Equation

This introductory graduate-level text emphasizes physical aspects of the theory of Boltzmann's equation in a detailed presentation that doubles as a practical resource for professionals. 1971 edition.

Statistical mechanics may be naturally divided into two branches, one dealing with equilibrium systems, the other with nonequilibrium systems. The equilibrium properties of macroscopic systems are defined in principle by suitable averages in well-defined Gibbs's ensembles. This provides a frame work for both qualitative understanding and quantitative approximations to equilibrium behaviour. Nonequilibrium phenomena are much less understood at the present time. A notable exception is offered by the case of dilute gases. Here a basic equation was established by Ludwig Boltzmann in 1872. The Boltzmann equation still forms the basis for the kinetic theory of gases and has proved fruitful not only for a study of the classical gases Boltzmann had in mind but also, properly generalized, for studying electron transport in solids and plasmas, neutron transport in nuclear reactors, phonon transport in superfluids, and radiative transfer in planetary and stellar atmospheres. Research in both the new fields and the old one has undergone a considerable advance in the last thirty years.

This book covers classical kinetic theory of gases, presenting basic principles in a self-contained framework and from a more rigorous approach based on the Boltzmann equation. Uses methods in kinetic theory for determining the transport coefficients of gases.

"The material published in this volume comes essentially from a course given at the Conference on "Boltzmann equation and fluidodynamic limits", held in Trieste in June 2006." -- preface.

In,1872, Boltzmann published a paper which for the first time provided a precise mathematical basis for a discussion of the approach to equilibrium. The paper dealt with the approach to equilibrium of a dilute gas and was based on an equation - the Boltzmann equation, as we call it now - for the velocity distribution function of such ~ gas. The Boltzmann equation still forms the basis of the kinetic theory of gases and has proved fruitful not only for the classical gases Boltzmann had in mind, but als- if properly generalized - for the electron gas in a solid and the excitation gas in a superfluid. Therefore it was felt by many of us that the Boltzmann equation was of sufficient interest, even today, to warrant a meeting, in which a review of its present status would be undertaken. Since Boltzmann had spent a good part of his life in Vienna, this city seemed to be a natural setting for such a meeting. The first day was devoted to historical lectures, since it was generally felt that apart from their general interest, they would furnish a good introduction to the subsequent scientific sessions. We are very much indebted to Dr. D.

Certain forms of the Boltzmann equation, have emerged, which relinquish most mathematical complexities of the true Boltzmann equation. This text provides a detailed survey of Lattice Boltzmann equation theory and its major applications.

The aim of this book is to present the theory and applications of the relativistic Boltzmann equation in a self-contained manner, even for those readers who have no familiarity with special and general relativity. Though an attempt is made to present the basic concepts in a complete fashion, the style of presentation is chosen to be appealing to readers who want to understand how kinetic theory is used for explicit calculations. The book will be helpful not only as a textbook for an advanced course on relativistic kinetic theory but also as a reference for physicists, astrophysicists and applied mathematicians who are interested in the theory and applications of the relativistic Boltzmann equation.

The book covers all aspects from the expansion of the Boltzmann transport equation with harmonic functions to application to devices, where transport in the bulk and in inversion layers is considered. The important aspects of stabilization and band structure mapping are discussed in detail. This is done not only for the full band structure of the 3D k-space, but also for the warped band structure of the quasi 2D hole gas. Efficient methods for building the Schrödinger equation for arbitrary surface or strain directions, gridding of the 2D k-space and solving it together with the other two equations are presented.

Featuring updated versions of two research courses held at the Centre Émile Borel in Paris in 2001, this book describes the mathematical theory of convergence to equilibrium for the Boltzmann equation and its relation to various problems and fields. It also discusses four conjectures for the kinetic behavior of the hard sphere models and formulates four stochastic variations of this model, also reviewing known results for these.

Flowing matter is all around us, from daily-life vital processes (breathing, blood circulation), to industrial, environmental, biological, and medical sciences. Complex states of flowing matter are equally present in fundamental physical processes, far remote from our direct senses, such as quantum-relativistic matter under ultra-high temperature conditions (quark-gluon plasmas). Capturing the complexities of such states of matter stands as one of the most prominent challenges of modern science, with multiple ramifications to physics, biology, mathematics, and computer science. As a result, mathematical and computational techniques capable of providing a quantitative account of the way that such complex states of flowing matter behave in space and time are becoming increasingly important. This book provides a unique description of a major technique, the Lattice Boltzmann method to accomplish this task. The Lattice Boltzmann method has gained a prominent role as an efficient computational tool for the numerical simulation of a wide variety of complex states of flowing matter across a broad range of scales; from fully-developed turbulence, to multiphase micro-flows, all the way down to nano-biofluidics and lately, even quantum-relativistic sub-nuclear fluids. After providing a self-contained introduction to the kinetic theory of fluids and a thorough account of its transcription to the lattice framework, this text provides a survey of the major developments which have led to the impressive growth of the Lattice Boltzmann across most walks of fluid dynamics and its interfaces with allied disciplines. Included are recent developments of Lattice Boltzmann methods for non-ideal fluids, micro- and nanofluidic flows with suspended bodies of assorted nature and extensions to strong non-equilibrium flows beyond the realm of continuum fluid mechanics. In the final part, it presents the extension of the Lattice Boltzmann method to quantum and relativistic matter, in an attempt to match the major surge of interest spurred by recent developments in the area of strongly interacting holographic fluids, such as electron flows in graphene.