Relativistic Fluid Dynamics: Physics for Many Different Scales
The relativistic fluid is a highly successful model used to describe the dynamics of many-particle, relativistic systems. It takes as input basic physics from microscopic scales and yields as output predictions of bulk, macroscopic motion. By inverting the process, an understanding of bulk features...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SpringerOpen
2007-01-01
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| Series: | Living Reviews in Relativity |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2007-1 |
| _version_ | 1818388984328355840 |
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| author | Comer Gregory L. Andersson Nils |
| author_facet | Comer Gregory L. Andersson Nils |
| author_sort | Comer Gregory L. |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The relativistic fluid is a highly successful model used to describe the dynamics of many-particle, relativistic systems. It takes as input basic physics from microscopic scales and yields as output predictions of bulk, macroscopic motion. By inverting the process, an understanding of bulk features can lead to insight into physics on the microscopic scale. Relativistic fluids have been used to model systems as “small” as heavy ions in collisions, and as large as the Universe itself, with “intermediate” sized objects like neutron stars being considered along the way. The purpose of this review is to discuss the mathematical and theoretical physics underpinnings of the relativistic (multiple) fluid model. We focus on the variational principle approach championed by Brandon Carter and his collaborators, in which a crucial element is to distinguish the momenta that are conjugate to the particle number density currents. This approach differs from the “standard” text-book derivation of the equations of motion from the divergence of the stress-energy tensor in that one explicitly obtains the relativistic Euler equation as an “integrability” condition on the relativistic vorticity. We discuss the conservation laws and the equations of motion in detail, and provide a number of (in our opinion) interesting and relevant applications of the general theory. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T04:34:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-79589ac2ed0d4d5897bffd3dd58b7af2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1433-8351 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T04:34:31Z |
| publishDate | 2007-01-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Living Reviews in Relativity |
| spelling | doaj.art-79589ac2ed0d4d5897bffd3dd58b7af22022-12-21T23:16:59ZengSpringerOpenLiving Reviews in Relativity1433-83512007-01-01101Relativistic Fluid Dynamics: Physics for Many Different ScalesComer Gregory L.Andersson NilsThe relativistic fluid is a highly successful model used to describe the dynamics of many-particle, relativistic systems. It takes as input basic physics from microscopic scales and yields as output predictions of bulk, macroscopic motion. By inverting the process, an understanding of bulk features can lead to insight into physics on the microscopic scale. Relativistic fluids have been used to model systems as “small” as heavy ions in collisions, and as large as the Universe itself, with “intermediate” sized objects like neutron stars being considered along the way. The purpose of this review is to discuss the mathematical and theoretical physics underpinnings of the relativistic (multiple) fluid model. We focus on the variational principle approach championed by Brandon Carter and his collaborators, in which a crucial element is to distinguish the momenta that are conjugate to the particle number density currents. This approach differs from the “standard” text-book derivation of the equations of motion from the divergence of the stress-energy tensor in that one explicitly obtains the relativistic Euler equation as an “integrability” condition on the relativistic vorticity. We discuss the conservation laws and the equations of motion in detail, and provide a number of (in our opinion) interesting and relevant applications of the general theory.http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2007-1fluid dynamicsrelativistic hydrodynamicsrelativistic astrophysicsvariational methodsclassical field theory |
| spellingShingle | Comer Gregory L. Andersson Nils Relativistic Fluid Dynamics: Physics for Many Different Scales Living Reviews in Relativity fluid dynamics relativistic hydrodynamics relativistic astrophysics variational methods classical field theory |
| title | Relativistic Fluid Dynamics: Physics for Many Different Scales |
| title_full | Relativistic Fluid Dynamics: Physics for Many Different Scales |
| title_fullStr | Relativistic Fluid Dynamics: Physics for Many Different Scales |
| title_full_unstemmed | Relativistic Fluid Dynamics: Physics for Many Different Scales |
| title_short | Relativistic Fluid Dynamics: Physics for Many Different Scales |
| title_sort | relativistic fluid dynamics physics for many different scales |
| topic | fluid dynamics relativistic hydrodynamics relativistic astrophysics variational methods classical field theory |
| url | http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2007-1 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT comergregoryl relativisticfluiddynamicsphysicsformanydifferentscales AT anderssonnils relativisticfluiddynamicsphysicsformanydifferentscales |