Bjorken flow revisited: analytic and numerical solutions in flat space-time coordinates

Abstract

In this work we provide analytic and numerical solutions for the Bjorken flow, a standard benchmark in relativistic hydrodynamics providing a simple model for the bulk evolution of matter created in collisions between heavy nuclei. We consider relativistic gases of both massive and massless particles, working in a ( 2 + 1 ) and ( 3 + 1 ) Minkowski space-time coordinate system. The numerical results from a recently developed lattice kinetic scheme show excellent agreement with the analytic solutions.