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Title:
On entropy and stellar systems
Authors:
Dejonghe, Herwig
Affiliation:
AA(Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ)
Publication:
Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 320, Sept. 15, 1987, p. 477-481. (ApJ Homepage)
Publication Date:
09/1987
Category:
Astrophysics
Origin:
STI
NASA/STI Keywords:
ENTROPY, GALACTIC EVOLUTION, PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS, STATISTICAL MECHANICS, STELLAR MOTIONS, STELLAR SYSTEMS, HYDRODYNAMICS, STAR DISTRIBUTION
DOI:
10.1086/165565
Bibliographic Code:
1987ApJ...320..477D

Abstract

The Tolman proof on the increase of entropy in a collisionless stellar system is discussed; it is emphasized that it does not prove that generalized H-functions are monotonically increasing in time and that it cannot be invoked to justify an arbitrary convex H-function as a basis for a variational principle. On the other hand, there are entropies that can be given a statistical foundation: the Jaynes entropy is introduced and an application is discussed. The results are of interest in theories of galactic formation and may also be applied in galaxy modeling.

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