47 min listen
Galaxy Dynamics: Stellar systems: a new state of matter
Galaxy Dynamics: Stellar systems: a new state of matter
ratings:
Length:
51 minutes
Released:
Jan 25, 2018
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Prof James Binney FRS will talk about stellar systems: a new state of matter The long range of gravity means that many concepts from undergraduate statistical mechanics do not apply: energy is not extensive; there is no microcanonical or canonical ensemble. Stars and dark matter particles have long mean free paths, which means that to a very good approximation their motion is determined by the mean-field gravitational potential. James Binney will identify a hierarchy of timescales, explaining how the Boltzmann equation for the full 6N-dimensional many-particle phase space distribution function can be reduced to an evolutionary equation of a function of a mere 3 variables that is governed by the resonances among the particles' orbital frequencies.
Released:
Jan 25, 2018
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (86)
The impact of black holes on the Universe: Members of the Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics hosted the 5th morning of Theoretical Physics covering the subject of Black holes: where physics reaches its limit. by Theoretical Physics - From Outer Space to Plasma