A series of papers that discuss the global existence of weak solutions for kinetic models, the basic concepts of non-standard analysis and their application to gas kinetics, the kinetic equations for semiconductors and the entropy methods used in the study of hydrodynamic limits.

This is an introductory text, in two parts, on scaling limits and modelling in equations of mathematical physics. The first part is concerned with basic concepts of the kinetic theory of gases which is not only important in its own right but also as a prototype of a mathematical construct central to the theory of non-equilibrium phenomena in large systems. It also features a very readable historic survey of the field. The second part dwells on the role of integrable systems for modelling weakly nonlinear equations which contain the effects of both dispersion and nonlinearity. Starting with a...

This volume is intended to coverthe presentstatus of the mathematicaltools used to deal with problems related to slow rare?ed ?ows. The meaning and usefulness of the subject, and the extent to which it is covered in the book, are discussed in some detail in the introduction. In short, I tried to present the basic concepts and the techniques used in probing mathematical questions and problems which arise when studying slow rare?ed ?ows in environmental sciences and micromachines. For the book to be up-to-date without being excessively large, it was necessary to omit some topics, which are...

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...

The idea for this book was conceived by the authors some time in 1988, and a first outline of the manuscript was drawn up during a summer school on mathematical physics held in Ravello in September 1988, where all three of us were present as lecturers or organizers. The project was in some sense inherited from our friend Marvin Shinbrot, who had planned a book about recent progress for the Boltzmann equation, but, due to his untimely death in 1987, never got to do it. When we drew up the first outline, we could not anticipate how long the actual writing would stretch out. Our ambitions were...

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...