Entropy Production in Simple Special Relativistic Fluids

Abstract

It is well known that, in the absence of external forces, simple non-relativistic fluids involve entropy production only through heat conduction and shear viscosity. In this work, it is shown that a number density gradient contributes to the local entropy production of a simple relativistic fluid using special relativistic kinetic theory. Also, the presence of an external field may cause strictly relativistic contributions to the entropy production, a fact not widely recognized. The implications of these effects are thoroughly discussed.