Eur. Phys. J. A (2009) 40: 275-287
https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2009-10793-6

Regular Article - Theoretical Physics

Relativistic entropy and related Boltzmann kinetics

Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Torino, Italy

^* e-mail: giorgio.kaniadakis@polito.it

Received: 31 January 2009
Accepted: 15 February 2009
Published online: 17 May 2009

Abstract

It is well known that the particular form of the two-particle correlation function, in the collisional integral of the classical Boltzmman equation, fixes univocally the entropy of the system, which turns out to be the Boltzmann-Gibbs-Shannon entropy. In the ordinary relativistic Boltzmann equation, some standard generalizations, with respect to its classical version, imposed by the special relativity, are customarily performed. The only ingredient of the equation, which tacitly remains in its original classical form, is the two-particle correlation function, and this fact imposes that also the relativistic kinetics is governed by the Boltzmann-Gibbs-Shannon entropy. Indeed the ordinary relativistic Boltzmann equation admits as stationary stable distribution, the exponential Juttner distribution. Here, we show that the special relativity laws and the maximum entropy principle suggest a relativistic generalization also of the two-particle correlation function and then of the entropy. The so obtained, fully relativistic Boltzmann equation, obeys the H-theorem and predicts a stationary stable distribution, presenting power law tails in the high-energy region. The ensued relativistic kinetic theory preserves the main features of the classical kinetics, which recovers in the c ∞ limit.