Michael Loss : Mark Kac's perspective on kinetic theory

Posted by Mimi Dai , part of the Departmental Colloquium.

At

March 9, 2018, 3 p.m.

In

SEO 636

Abstract

The goal of kinetic theory is to describe the behavior of a large collection of colliding particles. In 1956 Mark Kac invented a probabilistic model that describes a spatially homogeneous gas. This linear model helps to understand some aspects of kinetic theory, such as molecular chaos which is closely connected to the non-linear Boltzmann equation and approach to equilibrium. In this talk I will give a leisurely introduction to these issues and will also present some newer results.