Method of fundamental solutions for rarefied gas flows

Abstract

Rarefied gas flows arise in a variety of physical situations where the molecular mean free path becomes comparable to a characteristic length scale in the system. Such flows occur in high-altitude atmospheric phenomena, vacuum technologies, and micro- and nanoscale devices, where non-equilibrium effects become prominent and classical continuum models, like the Euler or Navier–Stokes–Fourier equations, lose their validity. While the Boltzmann equation offers a complete description of rarefied gas flows, its high dimensional complexity makes it computationally prohibitive in many practical scenarios. An efficient alternative is provided by extended hydrodynamic models that give a macroscopic description of gas flows.