We are seeking talented postdoctoral researchers to take up exciting Fellowship opportunities at the Mathematical Institute.

Wed, 10 Dec 2025

12:00 - 13:00
C4

Quasi-resonant collisions in kinetic theory and bi-temperature systems

Thomas Borsoni
(ENPC, France)
Abstract

Some molecules exhibit a peculiar behavior during collisions, called resonant: they exchange separately kinetic and internal energies. If the molecules of a gas undergo only resonant collisions, the equilibrium distribution exhibits two distinct temperatures, a kinetic and an internal one. To account for more realistic scenarios, we consider ‘’quasi’’-resonant collisions, where a very tiny exchange between kinetic and internal energies is allowed. We propose a mathematical framework for the notion of quasi-resonance, which leads to a Boltzmann model where the distribution is known at all times, a two-temperature Maxwellian, and converges towards a one-temperature Maxwellian. With this feature at hand, we derive so-called Landau-Teller equations, allowing us to replace the complicated Boltzmann equation by a simple ODE system of two equations.

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This year, the MI is trialling a new undergraduate Directed Reading Programme (DRP). The DRP will allow Part A & Part B students guided access to scholarship outside the taught curriculum, with Postdoctoral Fellows and DPhil students acting as mentors. 

The proposals for the Directed Reading Programme are now available on the Maths website:

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