ON SMOLUCHOWSKI,MARIAN LIFE AND CONTRIBUTION TO PHYSICS

Authors
Citation
A. Fulinski, ON SMOLUCHOWSKI,MARIAN LIFE AND CONTRIBUTION TO PHYSICS, ACT PHY P B, 29(6), 1998, pp. 1523-1537
Citations number
46
Categorie Soggetti
Physics
Journal title
ACTA PHYSICA POLONICA B
ISSN journal
05874254 → ACNP
Volume
29
Issue
6
Year of publication
1998
Pages
1523 - 1537
Database
ISI
SICI code
0587-4254(1998)29:6<1523:OSLACT>2.0.ZU;2-1
Abstract
The first part presents the life and historical contributions of Maria n Smoluchowski to the foundations of atomic theory of matter. Remainin g parts are devoted to the presentation of the original derivation and present applications of the Smoluchowski equations. Commonly used in various physical, chemical, etc., problems is the kinetic Smoluchowski equation, being the high-friction limit of the full Fokker-Planck equ ation. Of less use so far has been the functional Smoluchowski (called also Chapman-Enskog or Bachelier) equation. Within the scope of moder n theory of stochastic processes this equation is an identity equivale nt to the definition of a Markovian process. It is argued that, in the view of the growing interest in non-Markovian stochastic processes, t he functional Smoluchowski equation may become the most natural and ef fective tool for checking the Markovian vs. non-Markovian character of a considered process, especially when applied to experimental data. S ome examples are given.