Dispersion relations for the linearized Fokker-Planck equation (Q1364702)

The spectral properties and dispersion relations for the linearized Fokker-Planck equation are studied with results similar to those known in literature for the linearized Boltzmann equation. The study is made by splitting the nonlinear part of the Fokker-Planck equation into a diffusion operator and a compact operator. The expression and the properties of the dispersion relations are obtained by means of an operator algebra more complex than that in the Boltzmann case. As an application, it is shown that the solutions of the linearized Fokker-Planck equation tend towards the solution of the linearized Euler or Navier-Stokes equation as the mean free path tends to \(0\).