Relaxation-time model for the post-Newtonian Boltzmann equation

Abstract

The non-equilibrium contributions to the post-Newtonian hydrodynamic equations are determined from a relaxation-time model of the post-Newtonian Boltzmann equation. The Chapman- Enskog method is used to calculate the non-equilibrium distribution function. The components of the energy–momentum tensor are found from the knowledge of the non-equilibrium and the post-Newtonian equilibrium Maxwell–Jüttner distribution functions. The linearized field equations for the mass, momentum and internal energy densities coupled with the three Poisson equations of the post-Newtonian approximation are investigated by considering a plane wave representation of the fields. The constitutive equations for the viscous stress and heat flux vector are obtained and it is shown that the transport coefficients of shear viscosity and heat conductivity do depend on the Newtonian gravitational potential.