Publications by authors named "P CHAVANIS"

Article Synopsis
  • The study examines the thermodynamics and statistical mechanics of self-gravitating systems, focusing on a binary star model with two gravitationally interacting particles in a confined space.
  • It identifies a negative specific heat region in the microcanonical ensemble, which transitions to a first-order phase transition in the canonical ensemble, indicating complex energy states in the system.
  • Using a Langevin equation, the research explores the transitions between 'dilute' and 'condensed' states of the particles, developing a Fokker-Planck approach to understand metastable states and their lifetimes based on energy barriers.
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We study the nature of phase transitions in a self-gravitating classical gas in the presence of a central body. The central body can mimic a black hole at the center of a galaxy or a rocky core (protoplanet) in the context of planetary formation. In the chemotaxis of bacterial populations, sharing formal analogies with self-gravitating systems, the central body can be a supply of "food" that attracts the bacteria (chemoattractant).

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We investigate the long-term relaxation of one-dimensional (1D) self-gravitating systems, using both kinetic theory and N-body simulations. We consider thermal and Plummer equilibria, with and without collective effects. All combinations are found to be in clear agreement with respect to the Balescu-Lenard and Landau predictions for the diffusion coefficients.

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We calculate density profiles for self-gravitating clusters of an ideal Fermi-Dirac gas with nonrelativistic energy-momentum relation and macroscopic mass at thermal equilibrium. Our study includes clusters with planar symmetry in dimensions D=1,2,3, clusters with cylindrical symmetry in D=2,3, and clusters with spherical symmetry in D=3. Wall confinement is imposed where needed for stability against escape.

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We calculate density profiles for self-gravitating clusters of an ideal Bose-Einstein gas with nonrelativistic energy-momentum relation and macroscopic mass at thermal equilibrium. Our study includes clusters with planar symmetry in dimensions D=1,2,3, clusters with cylindrical symmetry in D=2,3, and clusters with spherical symmetry in D=3. Wall confinement is imposed where needed to prevent escape.

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