Correlations in a finite number of particles system simulating a rarefied gas (Q1315660)

This paper presents considerations on the pair correlation function in systems describing a rarefied gas with a finite number of particles, in the large number of particles limit, in view of numerical simulations with a small number of particles. First of all, the equation for a spatially homogeneous rarefied gas is stated, in a form which involves only binary collisions (in the finite number of particle case). The pair correlation function is defined, and calculated in the case of the BKW (Bobylev-Krook-Wu) solution at the first order in the number \(N\) of particles. The influence of \(N\) is then studied by the mean of the moments of the single particle distribution, and some numerical estimates are given. The influence of the spatial inhomogeneities (when it is assumed that the pair correlation function depends only on the hydrodynamic variables) and the possible influence of the boundary are finally investigated.