Steepest Entropy Ascent Models of the Boltzmann Equation: Comparisons With Hard-Sphere Dynamics and Relaxation-Time Models for Homogeneous Relaxation From Highly Non-Equilibrium States

Abstract

We present a family of steepest entropy ascent (SEA) models of the Boltzmann equation. The models preserve the usual collision invariants (mass, momentum, energy), as well as the non-negativity of the phase-space distribution, and have a strong built-in thermodynamic consistency, i.e., they entail a general H-theorem valid even very far from equilibrium. This family of models features a molecular-speed-dependent collision frequency; each variant can be shown to approach a corresponding BGK model with the same variable collision frequency in the limit of small deviation from equilibrium. This includes power-law dependence on the molecular speed for which the BGK model is known to have a Prandtl number that can be adjusted via the power-law exponent. We compare numerical solutions of the constant and velocity-dependent collision frequency variants of the SEA model with the standard relaxation-time model and a Monte Carlo simulation of the original Boltzmann collision operator for hard spheres for homogeneous relaxation from near-equilibrium and highly non-equilibrium states. Good agreement is found between all models in the near-equilibrium regime. However, for initial states that are far from equilibrium, large differences are found; this suggests that the maximum entropy production statistical ansatz is not equivalent to Boltzmann collisional dynamics and needs to be modified or augmented via additional constraints or structure.