Analysis of Jeans instability from the Boltzmann equation

The dynamics of self-gravitating fluids is analyzed within the framework of a collisionless Boltzmann equation in the presence of gravitational fields and Poisson equation. Two cases are analyzed: a system with baryonic and dark matter in a static universe and a single system in an expanding universe. The amplitudes of the perturbed distribution functions are considered as a linear combination of the collision invariants of the Boltzmann equation. For the system of baryonic and dark matter, the Jeans mass of the combined system is smaller than the one of the single system indicating that a smaller mass is needed to initiate the collapse. For the single system in an expanding universe it is not necessary to make use of Jeans "swindle"and it shown that for small wavelengths the density contrast oscillates while for large wavelengths it grows with time and the Jeans instability emerges.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure, new analysi

The Boltzmann equation in special and general relativity

Relativistic field equations for a gas in special and general relativity are determined from the Boltzmann equation. The constitutive equations are obtained from the Chapman-Enskog methodology applied to a relativistic model equation proposed by Anderson and Witting. Two applications in general relativity are considered: one refers to a gas in a homogeneous and isotropic Universe where irreversible processes are present during its evolution; in the other it is analyzed a gas under the influence of a spherically symmetrical non-rotating and uncharged source of the gravitational field.Comment: 8 pages, contributed paper at the 28th International Symposium on Rarefied Gas Dynamics (Zaragoza, Spain, July 9-13, 2012) correction: eqs. (40), (42) and (43

Relative Entropy of a Freely Cooling Granular Gas

The time evolution and stationary values of the entropy per particle of a homogeneous freely cooling granular gas, relative to the maximum entropy consistent with the instantaneous translational and rotational temperatures, is analyzed by means of a Sonine approximation involving fourth-degree cumulants. The results show a rich variety of dependencies of the relative entropy on time and on the coefficients of normal and tangential restitution, including a peculiar behavior in the quasi-smooth limit.Comment: 6 pages; 2 figures; contributed paper at the 28th International Symposium on Rarefied Gas Dynamics (Zaragoza, Spain, July 9-13, 2012