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Maxwell's derivaion of the distributions of the velocities of molecules is based on the assumption that the velocity components in the three mutualy orthogonal directions are independent. Here we note that his assumption, the phase space is…
Maxwell's velocity distribution is known to be universally valid across systems and phases. Here we present a new and general derivation that uses the central limit theorem (CLT) of the probability theory. This essentially uses the idea…
In this paper we present a new derivation of the $H$-theorem and the corresponding collisional equilibrium velocity distributions, within the framework of Tsallis' nonextensive thermostatistics. Unlike previous works, in our derivation we…
The present work provides a definitive answer to the problem of quantifying relaxation to equilibrium of the solution to the spatially homogeneous Boltzmann equation for Maxwellian molecules. The beginning of the story dates back to a…
To obtain further insight on possible power law generalizations of Boltzmann equilibrium concepts, a stochastic collision model is investigated. We consider the dynamics of a tracer particle of mass $M$, undergoing elastic collisions with…
In relativistic kinetic theory, which underlies relativistic hydrodynamics, the molecular chaos hypothesis stands at the basis of the equilibrium Maxwell-Juttner probability distribution for the four-momentum $p^{\alpha}$. We investigate…
In this article, we use the strong law of large numbers to give a proof of the Herschel-Maxwell theorem, which characterizes the normal distribution as the distribution of the components of a spherically symmetric random vector, provided…
We find the probability density function $\mathcal{P}(V_{\texttt{r}})$ of the relativistic relative velocity for two colliding particles in a non-degenerate relativistic gas. The distribution reduces to Maxwell distribution for the relative…
The form of Maxwell's theory is well known in the framework of general relativity, a fact that is related to the applicability of the principle of equivalence to electromagnetic phenomena. We pose the question whether this form changes if…
The Boltzmann H-theorem implies that the solution to the Boltzmann equation tends to an equilibrium, that is, a Maxwellian when time tends to infinity. This has been proved in varies settings when the initial energy is finite. However, when…
In 1988, Constantino Tsallis proposed an extension of the Boltzmann statistical mechanics by postulating a new entropy formula, $S_q = k_B\ln_q W$, where $W$ is the number of microstates accessible to the system, and $\ln_q$ defines a…
We prove that the solution of the Kac analogue of Boltzmann's equation can be viewed as a probability distribution of a sum of a random number of random variables. This fact allows us to study convergence to equilibrium by means of a few…
Dynamics of inelastic gases are studied within the framework of random collision processes. The corresponding Boltzmann equation with uniform collision rates is solved analytically for gases, impurities, and mixtures. Generally, the energy…
A connection between Maxwell's equations, Newton's laws, and the special theory of relativity is established with a derivation that begins with Newton's verbal enunciation of his first two laws. Derived equations are required to be…
The relativistic equilibrium velocity distribution plays a key role in describing several high-energy and astrophysical effects. Recently, computer simulations favored Juttner's as the relativistic generalization of Maxwell's distribution…
We argue that the classical theory of electromagnetism is based on Maxwell's macroscopic equations, an energy postulate, a momentum postulate, and a generalized form of the Lorentz law of force. These seven postulates constitute the…
Whereas the original Boltzmann's $H$-theorem applies to elastic collisions, its rigorous generalization to the inelastic case is still lacking. Nonetheless, it has been conjectured in the literature that the relative entropy of the velocity…
We consider a class of nonlinear Boltzmann equations describing return to thermal equilibrium in a gas of colliding particles suspended in a thermal medium. We study solutions in the space $L^{1}(\mathbb{R}^{3}\times \mathbb{T}^3).$ Special…
Maxwell's first derivation of the equilibrium distribution function for a dilute gas is generalized in the spirit of the nonextensive q-statistics proposed by Tsallis. As an application, the q-Doppler broadening of spectral lines due to the…
We investigate equilibrium properties of two very different stochastic collision models: (i) the Rayleigh particle and (ii) the driven Maxwell gas. For both models the equilibrium velocity distribution is a L\'evy distribution, the Maxwell…