Kinetic theory of spatially homogeneous systems with long-range interactions: I. General results

P.H. Chavanis

doi:10.1140/epjp/i2012-12019-9

EPJ

Kinetic theory of spatially homogeneous systems with long-range interactions: I. General results

P.H. Chavanis^*

Laboratoire de Physique Théorique (IRSAMC), CNRS and UPS, Université de Toulouse, F-31062, Toulouse, France

Received: 13 December 2011
Accepted: 29 December 2011
Published online: 16 February 2012

Abstract

We review and complete the literature on the kinetic theory of spatially homogeneous systems with long-range interactions taking collective effects into account. The evolution of the system as a whole is described by the Lenard-Balescu equation which is valid in a weak coupling approximation. When collective effects are neglected it reduces to the Landau equation and when collisions (correlations) are neglected it reduces to the Vlasov equation. The relaxation of a test particle in a bath is described by a Fokker-Planck equation involving a diffusion term and a friction term. For a thermal bath, the diffusion and friction coefficients are connected by an Einstein relation. General expressions of the diffusion and friction coefficients are given, depending on the potential of interaction and on the dimension of space. We also discuss the scaling with N (number of particles) or with Λ (plasma parameter) of the relaxation time towards statistical equilibrium. Finally, we consider the effect of an external stochastic forcing on the evolution of the system and compute the corresponding term in the kinetic equation.