Statistical mechanics of the self-gravitating gases

Abstract

The self-gravitating systems are formed by particles interacting through gravity. They describe structure formation in the universe. As a consequence of the long range interaction of gravity, they are inhomogeneous even at thermal equilibrium. We study the self-gravitating systems with several kinds of particles and the self-gravitating systems in the presence of the cosmological constant $ Lambda$. We formulate the statistical mechanics and the mean field approach describing the gaseous phase. We explicitely compute the density of particles and thermodynamic quantities. The presence of $ Lambda$ extends the domain of stability of the gaseous phase. Monte Carlo simulations show that the mean field describes the gaseous phase with an excellent accuracy. Scalling law of the self-gravitating systems with several kinds of particles is found. At the critical point the fractal dimension is independant of their composition and is $1.6...$~.