Abstract
We explore the conditions on a pair interaction for the validity of the Vlasov equation to describe the dynamics of an interacting -particle system in the large limit. Using a coarse graining in phase space of the exact Klimontovich equation for the -particle system, we evaluate, neglecting correlations of density fluctuations, the scalings with of the terms describing the corrections to the Vlasov equation for the coarse-grained one-particle phase space density. Considering a generic interaction with radial pair force , with at large scales, and regulated to a bounded behavior below a “softening” scale , we find that there is an essential qualitative difference between the cases and , i.e., depending on the the integrability at large distances of the pair force. In the former case, the corrections to the Vlasov dynamics for a given coarse-grained scale are essentially insensitive to the softening parameter , while for the amplitude of these terms is directly regulated by , and thus by the small scale properties of the interaction. This corresponds to a simple physical criterion for a basic distinction between long-range and short-range interactions, different from the canonical one ( or ) based on thermodynamic analysis. This alternative classification, based on purely dynamical considerations, is relevant notably to understanding the conditions for the existence of so-called quasistationary states in long-range interacting systems.
- Received 5 August 2014
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.90.062910
©2014 American Physical Society