Stationary Vlasov-Poisson-Boltzmann system in a convex domain

Abstract

We study the stationary and dynamical Vlasov-Poisson-Boltzmann system in a bounded, convex domain subject to a confining external potential field. For the stationary problem, we construct a unique stationary solution with an inflow boundary condition. A key difficulty is to obtain pointwise regularity for stationary solutions due to the intricate coupling between the self-consistent electric field and the Boltzmann collision operator. To overcome this issue, we establish a $W^{1,p}_{x,v}$--$αC^1_{x,v}$ bootstrap framework and derive an unweighted $C^1_v$ estimate by exploiting the structure of the external potential field. We then investigate the dynamical Vlasov-Poisson-Boltzmann system near the stationary solution. We prove the global existence and uniqueness of solutions for small perturbations and establish exponential convergence toward the stationary state in weighted $L^\infty$ norms. Our results reveal the stabilizing effect of the external potential field and provide a framework for the stationary and dynamical theories of the Vlasov-Poisson-Boltzmann system in bounded domains.