The Nordström-Vlasov system provides an interesting relativistic generalization of the Vlasov-Poisson system in the gravitational case, even though there is no direct physical application. The study of this model will probably lead to a better mathematical understanding of the class of non-linear systems consisting of hyperbolic and transport equations. In this paper it is shown that solutions of the Nordström-Vlasov system converge to solutions of the Vlasov-Poisson system in a pointwise sense as the speed of light tends to infinity, providing a further and rigorous justification of this model as a \textit{genuine} relativistic generalization of the Vlasov-Poisson system.
The Nordström-Vlasov system is a Lorentz invariant model for a self-gravitating collisionless gas. We establish suitable a-priori-bounds on the solutions of this system, which together with energy estimates and the smoothing effect of ``momentum averaging'' yield the existence of global weak solutions to the corresponding initial value problem. In the process we improve the continuation criterion for classical solutions which was derived recently. The weak solutions are shown to preserve mass.
The dynamics of a self-gravitating ensemble of collisionless particles is modeled by the Nordström-Vlasov system in the framework of the Nordström scalar theory of gravitation. For this system in two space dimensions, integral representations of the first order derivatives of the field are derived. Using these representations we show global existence of smooth solutions for large data.
The Nordström-Vlasov system describes the dynamics of a self-gravitating ensemble of collisionless particles in the framework of the Nordström scalar theory of gravitation. We prove existence and uniqueness of classical solutions of the Cauchy problem in three dimensions and establish a condition which guarantees that the solution is global in time. Moreover, we show that if one changes the sign of the source term in the field equation, which heuristically corresponds to the case of a repulsive gravitational force, then solutions blow up in finite time for a large class of initial data. Finall…
We study the Nordström-Vlasov system which describes the dynamics of a self-gravitating ensemble of collisionless particles in the framework of the Nordström scalar theory of gravitation. If the speed of light $c$ is considered as a parameter, it is known that in the Newtonian limit $c\to\infty$ the Vlasov-Poisson system is obtained. In this paper we determine a higher approximation and establish a pointwise error estimate of order $O(c^{-4})$. Such an approximation is usually called a 1.5 post-Newtonian approximation.
The Nordström-Vlasov system describes the evolution of self-gravitating collisionless matter in the framework of a relativistic scalar theory of gravitation. We prove global existence and uniqueness of classical solutions for the corresponding initial value problem in three dimensions when the initial data for the scalar field are smooth and the initial particle density is smooth with compact support.
The Vlasov-Nordström-Fokker-Planck system describes the evolution of self-gravitating matter experiencing collisions with a fixed background of particles in the framework of a relativistic scalar theory of gravitation. We study the spatially-homogeneous system and prove global existence and uniqueness of solutions for the corresponding initial value problem in three momentum dimensions. Additionally, we study the long time asymptotic behavior of the system and prove that even in the absence of friction, solutions possess a non-trivial asymptotic profile. An exact formula for the long time limi…
The Vlasov-Nordstrom system is a relativistic model for the description of a self-gravitating collisionless gas. In this paper we show, using a bootstrap argument, that classical small solutions of the Vlasov-Nordstrom system exist globally in time.
We use optimal transportation techniques to show uniqueness of the compactly supported weak solutions of the relativistic Vlasov-Darwin system. Our proof extends the method used by Loeper in J. Math. Pures Appl. 86, 68-79 (2006) to obtain uniqueness results for the Vlasov-Poisson system.
We prove that solutions of the 3D relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system can be extended, as long as the quantity $σ_{-1}(t, x) = \max_{|ω|=1} \,\int_{R^3} \frac{dp}{\sqrt{1+p^2}}\, \frac{1}{(1+v\cdotω)}\, f(t, x, p)$ is bounded in $L^2_x$.
The Nordström-Vlasov system is a relativistic Lorentz invariant generalization of the Vlasov-Poisson system in the gravitational case. The asymptotic behavior of solutions and the non-linear stability of steady states are investigated. It is shown that solutions of the Nordström-Vlasov system with energy grater or equal to the mass satisfy a dispersion estimate in terms of the conformal energy. When the energy is smaller than the mass, we prove existence and non-linear (orbital) stability of a class of static solutions (isotropic polytropes) against general perturbations. The proof of orbital …
In this paper the author studies the singular limit c to infinity of the family of Euler-Nordström systems indexed by the parameters kappa and c (EN_kappa,c), where kappa^2 > 0 is the cosmological constant and c is the speed of light. Using Christodoulou's techniques to generate energy currents, the author develops Sobolev estimates that show that for initial data belonging to an appropriate Sobolev space, as c tends to infinity, the solutions to the EN_kappa,c system converge uniformly on a spacetime slab [0,T]xR^3 to the solution of the Euler-Poisson system with the cosmological constant kap…
We consider the question of linear instability of an equilibrium of the Relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell (RVM) System that has a strong magnetic field. Standard instability results deal with systems where there are fewer particles with higher energies. In this paper we extend those results to the class of equilibria for which the number of particles does not depend monotonically on the energy. Without the standard sign assumptions, the analysis becomes significantly more involved.
In this paper, we study the Vlasov-Maxwell system in the non-relativistic limit, that is in the regime where the speed of light is a very large parameter. We consider data lying in the vicinity of homogeneous equilibria that are stable in the sense of Penrose (for the Vlasov-Poisson system), and prove Sobolev stability estimates that are valid for times which are polynomial in terms of the speed of light and of the inverse of size of initial perturbations. We build a kind of higher-order Vlasov-Darwin approximation which allows us to reach arbitrarily large powers of the speed of light.
In this paper we consider the mean field limit and non-relativistic limit of relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell particle system to Vlasov-Poisson equation. With the relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell particle system being a starting point, we carry out the estimates (with respect to $N$ and $c$) between the characteristic equation of both Vlasov-Maxwell particle model and Vlasov-Poisson equation, where the probabilistic method is exploited. In the last step, we take both large $N$ limit and non-relativistic limit (meaning $c$ tending to infinity) to close the argument.
We consider a collisionless ensemble of classical particles coupled to a Klein-Gordon field. For the resulting nonlinear system of partial differential equations, the relativistic Vlasov-Klein-Gordon system, we prove local-in-time existence of classical solutions and a continuation criterion which says that a solution can blow up only if the particle momenta become large. We also show that classical solutions are global in time in the one-dimensional case.
We derive the relativistic Vlasov equation from quantum Hartree dynamics for fermions with relativistic dispersion in the mean-field scaling, which is naturally linked with an effective semiclassic limit. Similar results in the non-relativistic setting have been recently obtained in [6]. The new challenge that we have to face here, in the relativistic setting, consists in controlling the difference between the quantum kinetic energy and the relativistic transport term appearing in the Vlasov equation.
We consider the plasma confined in a general axisymmetric spatial domain with perfect conducting boundary which reflects particles specularly, and look at a certain class of equilibria, assuming axisymmetry in the problem. We prove a sharp criterion of spectral stability under these settings. Moreover, we provide several explicit families of stable/unstable equilibria using this criterion.
The Cauchy problem is revisited for the so-called relativistic Vlasov-Poisson system in the attractive case. Global existence and uniqueness of spherical classical solutions is proved under weaker assumptions than previously used. A new class of blowing up solutions is found when these conditions are violated. A new, non-gravitational physical vindication of the model which (unlike the gravitational one) is not restricted to weak fields, is also given.
We consider an ensemble of classical particles coupled to a Klein-Gordon field. For the resulting nonlinear system of partial differential equations, which we call the relativistic Vlasov-Klein-Gordon system, we prove the existence of global weak solutions for initial data satisfying a size restriction. The latter becomes necessary since the energy of the system is indefinite, and only for restricted data a-priori bounds on the solutions can be derived from conservation of energy.
While a fully relativistic collisionless plasma is modeled by the Vlasov-Maxwell system a good approximation in the non-relativistic limit is given by the Vlasov-Poisson system. We modify the Vlasov-Poisson system so that damping due to the relativistic effect of radiation reaction is included. We prove the existence and uniqueness as well as the higher regularity of local classical solutions. These theorems also include the higher regularity of classical solutions of the Vlasov-Poisson system depending on the regularity of the initial datum.
In (Arch. Rational. Mech. Anal 1986, 92:59-90), Glassey and Strauss showed that if the growth in the momentum of the particles is controlled, then the relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system has a classical solution globally in time. Later they proved that such control is achieved if the kinetic energy density of the particles remains bounded for all time (Math. Meth. Appl. Sci. 1987, 9:46-52). Here, we show that the latter assumption can be weakened to the boundedness of the spatial density.
The time evolution of a collisionless plasma is modeled by the relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system which couples the Vlasov equation (the transport equation) with the Maxwell equations of electrodynamics. In this work, the setting is two and one-half dimensional, that is, the distribution functions of the particles species are independent of the third space dimension. We consider the case that the plasma is located in an infinitely long cylinder and is influenced by an external magnetic field. We prove existence of stationary solutions and give conditions on the external magnetic field under wh…
The global existence of solutions to the relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system given sufficiently regular finite energy initial data is a longstanding open problem. The main result of Glassey-Strauss (1986) shows that a solution $(f, E, B)$ remains $C^1$ as long as the momentum support of $f$ remains bounded. Alternate proofs were later given by Bouchut-Golse-Pallard (2003) and Klainerman-Staffilani (2002). We show that only the boundedness of the momentum support of $f$ after projecting to any two dimensional plane is needed for $(f, E, B)$ to remain $C^1$.
When particle speeds are large the motion of a collisionless plasma is modeled by the relativistic Vlasov Maxwell system. Large time behavior of solutions which depend on one position variable and two momentum variables is considered. In the case of a single species of charge it is shown that there are solutions for which the charge density does not decay in time. This is in marked contrast to results for the non-relativistic Vlasov Poisson system in one space dimension. The case when two oppositely charged species are present and the net total charge is zero is also considered. In this case, …
We study smooth, global-in-time solutions of the relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system that possess arbitrarily large charge densities and electric fields. In particular, we construct spherically symmetric solutions that describe a thin shell of equally charged particles concentrating arbitrarily close to the origin and which give rise to charge densities and electric fields as large as one desires at some finite time. We show that these solutions exist even for arbitrarily small initial data or any desired mass. In the latter case, the time at which solutions concentrate can also be made arbitra…
We present a microscopic derivation of the 3-dimensional relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system as a combined mean field and point-particle limit of an $N$-particle system of rigid charges with $N$-dependent radius. The approximation holds for typical initial particle configurations, implying in particular propagation of chaos for the respective dynamics.
In the study of solutions to the relativistic Boltzmann equation, their regularity with respect to the momentum variables has been an outstanding question, even local in time, due to the initially unexpected growth in the post-collisional momentum variables which was discovered in 1991 by Glassey & Strauss \cite{MR1105532}. We establish momentum regularity within energy spaces via a new splitting technique and interplay between the Glassey-Strauss frame and the center of mass frame of the relativistic collision operator. In a periodic box, these new momentum regularity estimates lead to a proo…
We study the relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system which describes large systems of particles interacting by means of their collectively generated forces. If the speed of light $c$ is considered as a parameter then it is known that in the Newtonian limit $c\to\infty$ the Vlasov-Poisson system is obtained. In this paper we determine the next order approximate system, which in the case of individual particles usually is called the Darwin approximation.
We consider the $3$-dimensional relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system with data without compact support in momentum space. We prove two continuation criteria for solutions to this system. First, we show that a regular solution can be continued if the integral of the electromagnetic field along any characteristic is assumed to be bounded. This can be viewed as a generalization of the classical result of Glassey-Strauss (1986) to data with non-compact momentum support. Second, we extend the methods in our companion paper (Part I) to show that a regular solution can be extended as long as $\|\pel_0^…
In 1989, R. DiPerna and P.-L. Lions established the existence of global weak solutions to the Vlasov-Maxwell system. In the present notes we give a somewhat simplified proof of this result for the relativistic version of this system, the main purpose being to make this important result of kinetic theory more easily accessible to newcomers in the field. We show that the weak solutions preserve the total charge.
We consider the relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell and Vlasov-Nordström systems which describe large particle ensembles interacting by either electromagnetic fields or a relativistic scalar gravity model. For both systems we derive a radiation formula analogous to the Einstein quadrupole formula in general relativity.
As is well known from the work of R. Glassey} and J. Schaeffer, the main energy estimates which are used in global existence results for the gravitational Vlasov-Poisson system do not apply to the relativistic version of this system, and smooth solutions to the initial value problem with spherically symmetric initial data of negative energy blow up in finite time. For similar reasons the variational techniques by which Y. Guo and G. Rein obtained nonlinear stability results for the Vlasov-Poisson system do not apply in the relativistic situation. In the present paper a direct, non-variational …
Consider the relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system with initial data of unrestricted size. In the two dimensional and the two and a half dimensional cases, Glassey-Schaeffer (1997, 1998, 1998) proved that for regular initial data with compact momentum support this system has unique global in time classical solutions. In this work we do not assume compact momentum support for the initial data and instead require only that the data have polynomial decay in momentum space. In the 2D and the $2\frac 12$D cases, we prove the global existence, uniqueness and regularity for solutions arising from this c…
We show that a smooth, small enough Cauchy datum launches a unique classical solution of the relativistic Vlasov-Darwin (RVD) system globally in time. A similar result is claimed in Comm. Math. Sci. 6, 749-764 (2008) following the work in Int. Mat. Res. Not. 57191, 1-31 (2006). Our proof does not require estimates derived from the conservation of the total energy, nor those previously given on the transverse component of the electric field. These estimates are crucial in the references cited above. Instead, we exploit the formulation of the RVD system in terms of the generalized space and mome…
We study smooth, spherically-symmetric solutions to the Vlasov-Poisson system and relativistic Vlasov-Poisson system in the plasma physical case. We construct solutions that initially possess arbitrarily small C^k norms for the charge densities and the electric fields, but attain arbitrarily large L^1 norms of them at some later time.
It is well known that steady states of the Vlasov-Poisson system, a widely used model in non-relativistic galactic dynamics, have negative energy. In this paper we derive the analogous property for two relativistic generalizations of the Vlasov-Poisson system: The Nordström-Vlasov system and the Einstein-Vlasov system. In the first case we show that the energy of steady states is bounded by their total rest mass; in the second case, where we also assume spherical symmetry, we prove an inequality which involves not only the energy and the rest mass, but also the central redshift. In both cases …
Recently, M.K.-H. Kiessling and A.S. Tahvildar-Zadeh proved that a unique global classical solution to the relativistic Vlasov-Poisson system exists whenever the positive, integrable initial datum is spherically symmetric, compactly supported in momentum space, vanishes on characteristics with vanishing angular momentum, and for $β\ge 3/2$ has $\mathfrak{L}^β$-norm strictly below a positive, critical value $\mathcal{C}_β$. Everything else being equal, data leading to finite time blow-up can be found with $\mathfrak{L}^β$-norm surpassing $\mathcal{C}_β$ for any $β>1$, with $\mathcal{C}_β>0$ if …
The time evolution of a collisionless plasma is modeled by the relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system which couples the Vlasov equation (the transport equation) with the Maxwell equations of electrodynamics. We consider the case that the plasma consists of $N$ particle species, the particles are located in a bounded container $Ω\subset\mathbb R^3$, and are subject to boundary conditions on $\partialΩ$. Furthermore, there are external currents, typically in the exterior of the container, that may serve as a control of the plasma if adjusted suitably. We do not impose perfect conductor boundary cond…
This article is devoted to the kinetic description in phase space of magnetically confined plasmas. It addresses the problem of stability near equilibria of the Relativistic Vlasov Maxwell system. We work under the Glassey-Strauss compactly supported momentum assumption on the density function $f(t,\cdot)$. Magnetically confined plasmas are characterized by the presence of a strong external magnetic field $ x \mapsto ε^{-1} \mathbf{B}_e(x)$, where $ε$ is a small parameter related to the inverse gyrofrequency of electrons. In comparison, the self consistent internal electromagnetic fields $(E,B…
Exact solutions for the relativistic dynamics of a self-consistent system with electromagnetic and gravitational interaction within the Wigner-Vlasov formalism
It is argued that the relativistic Vlasov--Maxwell equations of the kinetic theory of plasma approximately describe a relativistic system of $N$ charged point particles interacting with the electromagnetic Maxwell fields in a Bopp--Landé--Thomas--Podolsky (BLTP) vacuum, provided the microscopic dynamics lasts long enough.The purpose of this work is not to supply an entirely rigorous vindication, but to lay down a conceptual road map for the microscopic foundations of the kinetic theory of special-relativistic plasma, and to emphasize that a rigorous derivation seems feasible. Rather than worki…
We consider a self-gravitating collisionless gas as described by the Vlasov-Poisson or Einstein-Vlasov system or a self-gravitating fluid ball as described by the Euler-Poisson or Einstein-Euler system. We give a simple proof for the finite extension of spherically symmetric equilibria, which covers all these models simultaneously. In the Vlasov case the equilibria are characterized by a local growth condition on the microscopic equation of state, i.e., on the dependence of the particle distribution on the particle energy, at the cut-off energy E_0, and in the Euler case by the corresponding g…
The Vlasov system of equations for a plasma is given in relativistic form, and using the correct expression for the "Lorentz" force, that is the one guaranteing real self-consistency.
The present work establishes the mean-field limit of a N-particle system towards a regularized variant of the relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system, following the work of Braun-Hepp [Comm. in Math. Phys. 56 (1977), 101-113] and Dobrushin [Func. Anal. Appl. 13 (1979), 115-123] for the Vlasov-Poisson system. The main ingredients in the analysis of this system are (a) a kinetic formulation of the Maxwell equations in terms of a distribution of electromagnetic potential in the momentum variable, (b) a regularization procedure for which an analogue of the total energy - i.e. the kinetic energy of the …
We consider the three-dimensional semi-relativistic Hartree model for fast quantum mechanical particles moving in a self-consistent field. Under appropriate assumptions on the initial density matrix as a (fully) mixed quantum state we prove, using Wigner transformation techniques, that its classical limit yields the well known relativistic Vlasov-Poisson system. The result holds for the case of attractive and repulsive mean-field interaction, with an additional size constraint in the attractive case.
The existence and the properties of isolated solutions to the relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system with initial data on the backward hyperboloid $t=-\sqrt{1+|x|^2}$ are investigated. Isolated solutions of Vlasov-Maxwell can be defined by the condition that the particle density is compactly supported on the initial hyperboloid and by imposing the absence of incoming radiation on the electromagnetic field. Various consequences of the mass-energy conservation laws are derived by assuming the existence of smooth isolated solutions which match the inital data. In particular, it is shown that the mass…
