English

Coarse-grained distributions and superstatistics

Statistical Mechanics 2009-11-10 v3

Abstract

We show an interesting connexion between the coarse-grained distribution function arising in the theory of violent relaxation for collisionless stellar systems (Lynden-Bell 1967) and the notion of superstatistics introduced recently by Beck & Cohen (2003). We also discuss the analogies and differences between the statistical equilibrium state of a multi-components self-gravitating system and the metaequilibrium state of a collisionless stellar system. Finally, we stress the important distinction between mixing entropies, generalized entropies, H-functions, generalized mixing entropies and relative entropies.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0409511,
  title  = {Coarse-grained distributions and superstatistics},
  author = {Pierre-Henri Chavanis},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0409511},
  year   = {2009}
}