Relativistic dissipation obeys Chapman-Enskog asymptotics: Analytical and numerical evidence as a basis for accurate kinetic simulations.

Abstract

We present an analytical derivation of the transport coefficients of a relativistic gas in (2+1) dimensions for both Chapman-Enskog (CE) asymptotics and Grad's expansion methods. We further develop a systematic calibration method, connecting the relaxation time of relativistic kinetic theory to the transport parameters of the associated dissipative hydrodynamic equations. Comparison of our analytical results and numerical simulations shows that the CE method correctly captures dissipative effects, while Grad's method does not, in agreement with previous analyses performed in the (3+1)-dimensional case. These results provide a solid basis for accurately calibrated computational studies of relativistic dissipative flows.