| Issue |
Europhys. Lett.
Volume 50, Number 2, April II 2000
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 148 - 154 | |
| Section | General | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/epl/i2000-00247-9 | |
| Published online | 01 September 2002 | |
Statistical mechanics of point particles with a gravitational interaction
1
Institut Fourier, Université Joseph Fourier 38402 Saint Martin d'Hères Cedex, France
2
Laboratoire de Physique Statistique,
Ecole Normale Supérieure
24 rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
Corresponding author: chabanol@ujf-grenoble.fr
Received:
15
February
1999
Accepted:
2
February
2000
We study the dynamics of N point particles with a gravitational interaction. The divergence of the microcanonical partition function prevents this system from reaching equilibrium. Assuming a random diffusion in phase space we deduce a scaling law involving time, which is numerically checked for 3 interacting masses in a quadratic nonsymmetrical potential. This random walk on the potential energy scale is studied in some detail and the results agree with the numerics.
PACS: 05.20-y – Classical statistical mechanics / 05.70.Ln – Nonequilibrium and irreversible thermodynamics / 95.10.Ce – Celestial mechanics (including n-body problems)
© EDP Sciences, 2000
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