title: Stable equilibrium based on Lévy statistics: Stochastic collision models approach.
abstract: We investigate equilibrium properties of two very different stochastic collision models: (i) the Rayleigh particle and (ii) the driven Maxwell gas. For both models the equilibrium velocity distribution is a Lévy distribution, the Maxwell distribution being a special case. We show how these models are related to fractional kinetic equations. Our work demonstrates that a stable power-law equilibrium, which is independent of details of the underlying models, is a natural generalization of Maxwell's velocity distribution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barkai