Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2025

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Quasi-stationary distributions for the collective motions of a binary astrophysical system: A Langevin dynamics
1Departamento de Física, Universidad Católica del Norte, Av. Angamos 0610, Antofagasta, Chile.
Abstract:
Previously, we showed that the orbital motions of a binary system (e.g., two stars clusters in mutual interaction) can be modeled as a Brownian particle immersed in two heat baths (describing the thermodynamic incidence of the internal degrees of freedom). The fluctuations arising from the interaction of this effective particle with the baths lead to dynamical instabilities-escape and collapse events. Now, we focus on determining the quasi-stationary distribution of an ensemble of systems evolving under this stochastic model, specifically in the regime influenced by escape events. To this end, we develop numerical methods to compute the energy distribution of such an ensemble of systems. Notably, the resulting distribution exhibits lowered isothermal profiles akin to those observed in the structure of stellar clusters, such as the King distribution, which correspond to quasi-stationary states with positive heat capacities.
Related Concept Videos
Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution: Problem Solving
This distribution function f(v) is defined by saying that the expected number N (v1,v2) of particles with speeds between v1 and v2 is given by
Poisson's And Laplace's Equation
Equilibrium Conditions for a Particle
To understand the concept of equilibrium, let us first consider the forces acting on an object. When different forces act on an object, they can...
First Law: Particles in Two-dimensional Equilibrium
Newton's first law tells us about...
Second Order systems II
First Law: Particles in One-dimensional Equilibrium

