Coarse-grained distributions and superstatistics

Pierre-Henri Chavanis (1)

1 PhyStat - Physique Statistique des Systèmes Complexes (LPT)

We show an interesting connexion between the coarse-grained distribution function arising in the theory of violent relaxation for collisionless stellar systems (Lynden-Bell 1967) and the notion of superstatistics introduced recently by Beck & Cohen (2003). We also discuss the analogies and differences between the statistical equilibrium state of a multi-components self-gravitating system and the metaequilibrium state of a collisionless stellar system. Finally, we stress the important distinction between mixing entropies, generalized entropies, H-functions, generalized mixing entropies and relative entropies.

Domaines: Mécanique statistique [cond-mat.stat-mech]

Pierre-Henri Chavanis. Coarse-grained distributions and superstatistics. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2006, 359, pp.177-212. ⟨10.1016/j.physa.2005.06.043⟩. ⟨hal-00139222⟩