Spectral methods for one-dimensional kinetic models of granular flows and numerical quasi elastic limit

Abstract

In this paper we introduce numerical schemes for a one-dimensional kinetic model of the Boltzmann equation with dissipative collisions and variable coefficient of restitution. In particular, we study the numerical passage of the Boltzmann equation with singular kernel to nonlinear friction equations in the so-called quasi elastic limit. To this aim we introduce a Fourier spectral method for the Boltzmann equation [25, 26] and show that the kernel modes that define the spectral method have the correct quasi elastic limit providing a consistent spectral method for the limiting nonlinear friction equation.