The Boltzmann-Poisson equation with a central body: analytical solutions in one and two dimensions

TL;DR

This paper derives explicit analytical solutions to the Boltzmann-Poisson equation with a central body in one and two dimensions, extending previous solutions and applicable to various physical and biological systems.

Contribution

It provides new analytical solutions to the Boltzmann-Poisson equation with a central body in 1D and 2D, generalizing earlier solutions without a central mass.

Findings

Explicit density profiles around a central body in 1D and 2D

Generalization of classical solutions by Camm and Ostriker

Applications to astrophysics, biology, and fluid dynamics

Abstract

We consider an isothermal self-gravitating system surrounding a central body. This model can represent a galaxy or a globular cluster harboring a central black hole. It can also represent a gaseous atmosphere surrounding a protoplanet. In three dimensions, the Boltzmann-Poisson equation must be solved numerically in order to obtain the density profile of the gas [Chavanis {\it et al.}, Phys. Rev. E {\bf 109}, 014118 (2024)]. In one and two dimensions, we show that the Boltzmann-Poisson equation can be solved analytically. We obtain explicit analytical expressions of the density profile around a central body which generalize the analytical solutions found by Camm (1950) and Ostriker (1964) in the absence of a central body. Our results also have applications for self-gravitating Brownian particles (Smoluchowski-Poisson system), for the chemotaxis of bacterial populations (Keller-Segel model), and for two-dimensional point vortices (Onsager's model). In the case of bacterial populations, the central body could represent a supply of ``food'' that attracts the bacteria (chemoattractant). In the case of two-dimensional vortices, the central body could be a central vortex