Stochastic Particle Dynamics

Dense fluids and liquids molecules are in constant interaction; hence, they do not fit into the Boltzmann’s picture of a clearcut separation between free-streaming and collisional interactions. Since the interactions are soft and do not involve large scattering angles, an effective way of describing dense fluids is to formulate stochastic models of particle motion, as pioneered by Einstein’s theory of Brownian motion and later extended by Paul Langevin. Besides its practical value for the study of the kinetic theory of dense fluids, Brownian motion bears a central place in the historical development of kinetic theory. Among others, it provided conclusive evidence in favor of the atomistic theory of matter. This chapter introduces the basic notions of stochastic dynamics and its connection with other important kinetic equations, primarily the Fokker–Planck equation, which bear a complementary role to the Boltzmann equation in the kinetic theory of dense fluids.