New Statistical Models for Kinetic Theory: Methods of Construction

A statistical model of the collision term in the Boltzmann equation is introduced which is similar in concept to the well-known Krook model but yields the correct Prandtl number of ⅔ for a monatomic gas. A new method for constructing kinetic models is presented which is based on the information theory concept of entropy or uncertainty. This method, which is applicable to quite general systems in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, is used to construct statistical models for multicomponent gas mixtures and for gases consisting of molecules with internal degrees of freedom.